Two of Us
by kira862
Summary: Sequel to SOA: Through pain, through hurt; through happiness, through love. Shinji and Asuka had it all, and then they lost it all. Third Impact has ended, and now, Shinji and Asuka must grow to love each other as they once did from a time forgotten.
1. Prologue: New Beginnings

**Rated M** **for**: Strong Language, Adult Themes, Violence, And LEMOM!

I Don't Own Evangelion...though owning Evangelion 3.0 when it comes out would be pretty awesome!

* * *

><p><strong>Sometimes I really hate the way fanfiction formats stuff. Okay, enough with that.<br>**

**Right so, I know that pretty much all of you were disappointed with the ending of Spawn of Adam, and I don't really blame you. It does heavily suck, but as I said, I had been planning that ending almost right from the get go, and was very pleased to see that it ended as such.**

**Two of Us is a direct sequel to Spawn of Adam, with an After Impact scenario involved. There will be a very interesting plot later down the road, as everybody awakens from Instrumentality, but before that to happen, Shinji and Asuka must grow to love each other again. **

**For those of you that have waited for this, I thank you for your patience.**

* * *

><p><em>Shinji-<em>

_We had a life, we had a love, but you don't know what you got till you lose it._

_Well that was then, this is now, and I want you back, How many times can I say I'm sorry._

_Yes I'm sorry._

-Phil Collins, Something Happened On The Way To Heaven.

_Asuka-_

_Now I want you, when your gone and now its like._

_Your holding something just in front of me._

_Well then, I can't allow this to become another one of those times that I'm left in the cold._

_Dead._

_Theres no compromise, just another tie I know I, need to severe._

-Disturbed, Guarded

_Together-_

_We're on our way home. We're on our way home. We're going home._

_You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead._

-Lennon/McCartney, Two of Us

-Amanda Norman

_Many relationships fail, but only true love prevails; if its love, than time slows to the beat of your _

_hearts, and minutes become years._

-Patrick Thelen

The World has ended, yet I'm still here.

The World has ended, yet you're still here.

The World has ended, yet we still have each other.

The World has ended... Lets start over...

* * *

><p>Third Impact had been avoided, for better or for worse. The world had been saved, and everything was set as it should be. But was that really true? For two people, that may not necessarily be true.<p>

Shinji and Asuka had connected with each other, they had loved each other, they had fought for each other, and then at the end of it all, they had lost each other. Had everything been futile then? Had every moment they had ever spent with each other been for naught? Maybe this was true, but the body remembered.

Love is a strange thing, and love can vary from person to person. The love of a husband and wife; the love of a father and mother; the love of a boyfriend and girlfriend. Love can vary depending on the individuals definition of what "love" is. Love is more an emotion, more like a feeling you have when you are around somebody, something which can't be replicated no matter how many times you attempt to recreate it.

So then what hope did Shinji and Asuka ever have to love each other again? Maybe it was simply the fact that they were drawn to each other, that such an outcome was always unthinkable. But that love had to be rekindled, reborn to what it once was.

Love is an abstract thing, similar to that of AT-fields and memories. It can't be seen, except in the vision of the person who is seeing it. Some describe it as red, while others simply describe it as a warm feeling in the heart. People try to explain what they feel, but are unable to. Why is that? Is it because they don't understand each other? That they don't understand what love is?"

Then what about Shinji and Asuka? Neither of them understood what love was when they first met, having never experienced such a thing in either of there lives before meeting each other. So then, how was it that two fifteen year olds were able to understand the concept better then adults? Is it because they were younger, that they didn't understand things?

Or was it because that they had first connected as human beings, before making that next giant leap?

Whatever the reason was, Shinji and Asuka had once loved each other, that much was certain. But now, as the earth settled back into its normal rotation, and the Tree of Life began regrowing, they would have to make do with what was given to them. Third Impact was over with, and the Lilim would return one day and reside once again upon the earth. But until then, Shinji and Asuka were given time to grow whole once again.

* * *

><p>Shinji opened his eyes groggily; he had passed into a restless sleep, nothing of which he seemed to have recalled. He had dreamt something, but he didn't know what.<p>

He instead turned his gaze to the girl lying on the beach next to him. She was still motionless. Shinji had checked every hour or so, but she still continued breathing normally. Once or twice, he had almost nudged her gently, but stopped himself at the last minute. Part of him wanted to continue watching her sleep, but the other part of him wanted to talk to her, to get to know her, to understand who she was.

Shinji was admittedly lonely, and he was rather surprised at that. He had never cared much about people before, but this girl who he had never once seen in his life...

'What is wrong with me?' thought Shinji.

Looking once more at her pale skin and her sleeping face, Shinji turned away from her, and passed into another fitful sleep, in which his thoughts were filled with that girls face.

* * *

><p><strong>One last thing; I've got finals coming up next week so the first chapter won't be coming out until the first week of April. (When I've got Spring Break). Cheers!<strong>


	2. New Beginnings

**ANNNNNNNND I'M BACK. Wow Jesus how long has it been...four months I think? Anyway yeah sorry guys about that long bout of nothing. I just had so much stuff going on during that last term of school that this was put on the back burner for a long time. But I'm back to updating this (for a while at least, things might get slow again in September). So again, thanks to everybody that waited patiently for this and I apologize for the wait. **

* * *

><p>Shinji opened his eyes slowly.<p>

For several seconds, as he looked around, he didn't know where he was.

Then he looked down at the girl next to him with strawberry colored hair and he remembered. Or at least, he remembered some things...

The sun was setting over on the horizon, turning the blood colored water a sickly red hue. The capsized battleships floating meaninglessly out in the Bay of Tokyo-3, their purposes long served. Above the beaches where Shinji sat on, the city of Tokyo-3 lay quietly, almost as though it was sleeping peacefully. Such a calm sound had not been heard in this part of the world for a long forgotten time.

Amidst all of this, Shinji and the girl next to him where the only two people that stood out among the destruction of Tokyo-3 and the world.

Shinji continued gazing at the sun, watching it slowly continue setting, seemingly sinking into the ocean. Now that he was awake, he had to admit that he was a little afraid.

During his brief nap, he had hoped that more humans would show up, someone that could help him, or even explain what had happened to everything. But now, with night starting, he was having to face reality that he may be the only person in the city.

'Or at least one of the only people,' he thought as he eyes trailed down towards the girl next to him. Her chest was still slowly moving up and down, indicating that she was breathing, but Shinji had hoped that she would have woken up while he had been asleep. He would at least have someone to talk to and maybe she even knew what had happened. Her attire would certainly suggest that she wasn't a normal fifteen year old girl.

Shinji looked at her for a few seconds longer, letting his eyes travel over her face before he shook his head and stood up. He didn't know what he was gonna do, but simply sitting wasn't helping. He needed to think.

Standing up he directed his gaze farther down the beach and then up the sandy slope behind him to the wreckage that was Tokyo-3. He supposed that he would have to go into the city eventually, but he didn't feel like he was ready for that. Things still hadn't...quite sunk in yet.

Digging his hands into his pockets, he started walking along the beach, just as the sun disappeared across the water.

'Okay...what had happened?' was Shinji's first thought.

The end of the world was the most apparent answer, but Shinji couldn't just take that laying down.

He been living in Tokyo-3 for what...half a year or so? His father had sent him here at the beginning of the year and made him live at an apartment with some guy. His father had brought him here for an unknown reason, but Shinji had wondered if it hadn't had something to do with Nerv. He could remember waking up this morning and going to class and everything as if it was a normal day...and then nothing. Several hours seemed to have just been taken out of his memory it seemed like. He was supposed to be living with a new roommate tomorrow also, but that didn't seem like it would be happening anytime soon.

Kicking his feet as he walked along the sand, he looked towards a large building that seemed to have been a hotel of some sorts. It looked like the building had been in disrepair for several years. Was it somehow possible that Shinji had been sent into the future somehow?

'Thats fucking stupid,' thought Shinji. 'No...something more plausible than that.'

Though he honestly couldn't think of anything.

Stopping suddenly he looked up towards the sky and was surprised that he could see the stars. He couldn't remember ever seeing the stars his entire time living in Tokyo-3.

"Are there really no other humans?" mumbled Shinji.

He had never really enjoyed associating with people, but to just have everyone disappear all at once was just too strange.

"It doesn't make any sense," sighed Shinji.

Running a hand through his hair he looked back towards the way he had come. He could still see the body of the girl in the distance, and was glad that he could still see her. Though the darkness was certainly starting to get heavier, and without the light from Tokyo-3-

'This might be a problem,' thought Shinji.

He didn't know what had happened, or why it seemed only himself and the strange girl were alive in the city, but right now he had to focus on other things.

Walking to the edge of the water, he ran his hand in it, but only felt the odd substance of the fluid, almost like sand. It was like he was on a different world, a separate earth. Nothing made sense.

'I'm alive though, so I suppose I should be thankful for that.'

Though was he really being honest? With the world as it was, living would be-

Shinji stopped himself here; it was pointless to think about anything other than the next hour of his life.

Turning towards the ruins of Tokyo-3, a frown passed over his face. He knew that he would have to explore them tonight, even if he didn't really want to. And though he didn't want to admit it, the fact that the girl hadn't woken up yet was starting to trouble him.

Moving away from the water, he decided on his course, though whether it was the correct or wrong decision, he didn't know.

Walking back to where the girl lay didn't take long and he was soon caught in a problem; he didn't want to let her out of his sight. It was worry more than anything. He didn't want to run the risk of him not being there when she woke up, or if something more serious happened-

Shinji shook his head.

'Best not to think about that,' he thought.

On the other hand though, he couldn't very well carry her. It would have been...awkward.

'What to do,' thought Shinji. 'I don't want to leave her, but at the same time I don't have much of a choice.'

Shinji then noticed a piece of driftwood not too far off in the distance. Looking around him, he noticed that there was a strange amount of wood laying around the beach, most of which seemed to have been splintered off from buildings.

"Right...a fire would work," mumbled Shinji as he started counting the pieces of wood. The fire would help not only to relieve his worries of the girl, but also if there were any more survivors, they may see the flames and be drawn to it.

'But making it is another problem,' frowned Shinji. He had never tried lighting a flame without anything other than a match.

'One step at a time,' he told himself as he stood up. He was rather glad to be moving and having a set goal to work towards. It certainly kept his mind off of other things.

Gathering up as much dry wood as he could, he then scaled the sandy slope behind him to the top where there was some dry brush and picked several handfuls and brought it back down to the beach. He didn't have any sort of way to chop the wood so he dug a hole in the sand using one of the pieces of wood and dug himself a sand pit. Placing the larger pieces of wood at the bottom, he stacked it higher with the smaller pieces, hoping that it would burn longer like this. He kept a pile of wood next to this pit as extra kindling incase the flames started to die down.

Now though, the problem was exactly how he was going to make those flames.

Climbing back up the slope he stood up at the top and looked towards the destruction of Tokyo-3. Everything was much more apparent up here.

The shops and stores that littered the edge of the beach looked as though they had been bombed from the inside. Empty holes filled the window frames and twisting pieces of metal lined the sides of them, indicating that they were once chairs and tables. Most likely a coffee shop of some kind. Thankfully though, a road also ran along this stretch of the beach and Shinji didn't think he would have to search far before he found a lighter.

Any thought that what he was doing was wrong must have been long since abandoned, because Shinji had no problems going through the cars, purses, glove compartments, and other peoples belongings as he searched for a lighter. Maybe it was because of his disassociation with people in general, or maybe he just buried that part of his mind which told him it was wrong. Certainly if there had been bodies in the cars like he had initially been worried about, or the peoples clothes he would have had second thoughts. But without any of this, he was able to pick through things without thinking about it.

Finally after about the seventh car he had been through, he found a lighter on the ground of the drive side door. Flicking it on, a golden flame lit in front of him and seemed to wave back and forth at him. Flicking it off, Shinji leaned out of the car and stood up.

Sliding back down the slope to the beach below, he jogged to the fire pit and kneeled down next to it. Setting the brush on top of the wood, he placed the lighter in the brush and lit it. Grabbing some of the smaller logs, he placed them gently on top of the brush, letting the logs catch fire. Shifting the logs that were now lit around, he proceeded to gently stroke the fire, catching the sparks on the other pieces of wood. Tokyo-3's nights could be particularly brutal at times, and Shinji wanted not only himself, but the girl to be warm.

Glancing over at her, he saw that she was still sleeping...or unconscious. He wasn't really sure to be true. But she was still breathing, and that seemed to be okay.

With the fire roaring now and warmth starting to spread through his body, Shinji's mind went back to the darkness of Tokyo-3. He wasn't tired, and this surprised him since he had been up and down that slope now twice over, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to look for anything else in that darkness.

He was hungry however, and this suddenly became apparent as he felt his stomach rumble.

Food was one thing, but water was entirely different. If he put it off till tomorrow, would he still be able to get it? He couldn't imagine these buildings being in the best condition and hadn't really thought until now about the dangers of one of those falling down when he was near one, or worse, inside of one. But wandering around in the dark was a different situation all together.

'And I'm still worried about her...' thought Shinji as his eyes went to the girl in the strange outfit. He had no idea what her situation was. Whether she was hungry, thirsty, or anything of the sorts, but if the fire did end up going out during the night, then the cold breeze of the ocean would be sure to freeze them quickly. Getting a cold was certainly the last thing he desired right now.

'Water and blankets then,' thought Shinji as he rested his chin in his hand as he looked into the torrent of flames dancing in front of him. As he looked towards the girl, he could see the shadow of the flames flickering off her face. Watching the flames dance across her face for a moment longer, he eventually placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself upwards. Pocketing the lighter which he had placed beside him, he proceeded to venture into the darkened city.

Shinji didn't want to walk far; as long as he could see the light of the fire in the distance he wasn't as worried, but the state of the buildings were starting to worry him.

It looked like nuclear fallout had occurred, and every building that he walked by looked as though it had been in a state of disrepair for several years. He did check in several vehicles as he made his way into the city, but didn't find anything he considered useful.

With the lighter in his hand, he passed many stores, most of which didn't seem to even have a scrap of paper left inside it. Whatever had occurred, seemed to have destroyed everything down to the smallest item.

There was one thing that surprised him as he walked around the outskirts of the city, and that seemed that animals were completely unaffected by whatever had happened. As he had passed a car at one point, he saw a dog grabbing something in its mouth, only realizing seconds later that it was a large piece of meat, like the leg of a butchered animal. The dog growled at him however, and Shinji didn't want to press his luck. He may have had the lighter, but he'd rather not get bitten by a wild dog.

As the dim light of the fire started to get further and further away, Shinji was just feeling that he was wasting his efforts on something which may not even exist. As he walked past a small store though he turned his head, and paused as he looked into the store. Holding the lighter out in front of himself, he looked past the darkened windows to what was inside.

The store was better off than most of the others he had passed along the way, and looking at it, Shinji guessed that it had been a sporting goods store of some kind. Carefully walking in between the shattered glass panels of the window, he stepped through the empty window and looked around at the shop.

Most of the shelves were still intact, though with a certain darkened color to the wood, suggesting that it had caught fire. Passing what looked like a twisted cash register, Shinji walked along the aisles peering through the darkness as he did. Twisted pieces of metal, melted rubber, and broken pieces of wood were only some of the things that he passed on his may towards the back of the store. He was hoping to find some sleeping bags, but even that didn't seem very promising.

He reached the back of the store, but was met only with a rack of blackened shoes, all too brittle to even pick up. Shaking his head in defeat, he was about to backtrack and head back to the beach when he spotted an employee only sign on a door to the far right of the back wall. He hesitated for a second, thinking things couldn't be much better there than out here but didn't see any reason why he shouldn't at least look. He walked towards to the door and pushed it inwards.

Except it wouldn't budge.

Shinji pushed again, adding more pressure to the door, but even then it wouldn't move an inch. He even tried kicking it, but this was more in frustration than anything.

With sweat finally starting to run down his cheek, he leaned up against the side of the door and cursed quietly. The roof must have caved in, but if something that could help him did exist back there, he wanted to do everything he could to get it.

Looking around for something to hit the door with, something perhaps more solid, he spotted a golf club, a driver that hadn't been turned into a chunk of metal. Grabbing it, he walked back over to the door and stood before it with the club held in his hands. Take a few steps back, he lunged forward and swung with all his might against the door. A golf club had certainly never been used like this before. The club made contact with the door and made a large dent in it with a loud hollow sound.

Stepping back from the door, Shinji swung again, this time cracking the wood and on his third swing, he broke through the wood, creating a sizable hole that he could look through. Throwing the golf club to one side he looked through the hole while holding up the lighter next to him.

The roof overhead had certainly caved in, and a bunch of the ceiling lay scattered across the room and directly in front of the the door lay several large pieces of wood. But Shinji saw hope in this. He had been afraid that the wood had been piled in front of the door, be he figured that if he swung a few more times at the door, he would be able to push his way through it. He did just that.

It took ten minutes for him to accomplish this before his hands were blistered and red from clutching the club so tightly, but he finally made it through. Dropping the driver, he pushed his way through the door, wincing slightly as the splinters he had missed dug into his skin and pierced it, making him bleed slightly. He ignored this though, and didn't think anything of it.

'There better be something worthwhile in this room,' thought Shinji as he waved his lighter around.

The back room seemed to have escaped whatever had vaporized the front room, and a lot of things were still intact. Shinji walked past several shelves, ignoring the many shoe boxes that lined them, searching for anything that could keep them warm tonight.

Passing into another room, the room had caved in on this one as well, but it was worse; part of the wall had caved in as well. Shinji almost all but ignored this room since it was smaller than the previous room which seemed to just be for storing items, but he saw something which made him do a double take. What look the top half of a chair but with its legs snapped off lay on its side amidst the rubble. Walking over to it, he picked it up and held it in his hands.

"This must have been a break room or something," mumbled Shinji.

He now spotted what he had missed before. A small counter ran along one side of the room and what looked like a sink was built into one of the counter tops. Shinji walked up to it and turned on the faucet without much hope. Predictably, not even a drop of water trickled out.

'Should have know better,' he thought. 'But if there is a sink, it wouldn't be too surprising if a small refrigerator was here.'

Shinji then started looking around for any speck of white that stood out compared to the grey and brown colors of the wood and roof tiling. It took him some time before he started shifting pieces of wood, looking for any sign of a fridge.

After moving several medium sized pieces, he finally found it crammed into a corner of the room. It had long ceased functioning, but if Shinji could find water in there, even if it was to last a day, he would be thankful. Tugging open the door, he was met by such a awful smell that it forced him to veer off to the right as he puked.

A rat from the looks of it had somehow found itself a way into the fridge and died during the cave in of the roof. The body was twisted and contorted and its fur was already starting to fall off.

Shinji hadn't imagined he would have been greeted by something like this, but at least something good had come out of this. Spitting onto the ground, hating the taste of vomit, he looked back into the fridge and stared at the four water bottles in the inside door. Thankfully, the rat was in a far back corner of the fridge so he wouldn't have to go near it. Forcing himself not to puke again, he quickly grabbed the four bottles. Slamming the door closed, he quickly left the room and held his breath until he reached the item storage room before he breathed again.

He looked down at the four bottles tucked in his arms and at least thought that it had been worth it in the end. Setting them down on an empty shelf, he looked around the room again. The room seemed to stretch far into the back and he hadn't checked that area yet.

He passed an odd assortment of soccer balls and soccer related products before he reached the back of the store. Camping stuff largely littered this area including some fishing poles. Shinji had never been fishing in his life, but supposed that it was something that would be good to learn. He could at least cook whatever he caught. But carrying the fishing poles would be difficult with the bottles also. He'd just have to grab them again at a later date.

Sifting through some of the other stuff, he saw a bunch of useless camping gear, none of which included a pot or frying pan. The thought of fish had reminded him of how hungry he was.

'Well, I found the water at least, so it wasn't too bad I suppose,' sighed Shinji as he stood up and started walking away from the camping goods. He figured that he should start getting back by now. He wanted be sure the fire stayed strong long into the night.

As he walked past the camping goods though, his eye caught onto something wrapped in plastic that was tucked into a corner. Walking over to it, Shinji pulled it out and realized that it was a dark green sleeping bag. He smiled slightly, but then looked around.

'There's only one,' he thought suddenly.

He stood still for several seconds, his bran registering that phrase. Of course it wouldn't have been that easy.

'Damn it,' he thought as he looked around the store again, waving the flickering flame back and forth. As he passed over everything a second time though, he had to admit defeat. He guessed he wouldn't be sleeping much tonight.

Walking back to the door he broke through, he carefully placed the sleeping bag through the hole, being sure not to tear it. Next he threw the bottles through and climbed through the hole, ignoring the splinters which pierced his skin again.

He didn't notice that the cut from earlier had already scabbed over.

After returning to the beach, he tossed what he had found from the city in a pile and started stacking more tinder on the fire. It had gone down more than he had suspected and he figured he'd spend most of his night keeping it alive. After getting it back up to a sizable column though, he turned to other matters.

He had no way of knowing how far off the sunrise was, but had to guess it was getting close to midnight by now. The moon was already high up in the sky and the chilly ocean breeze was starting to hit the beach. Shinji felt himself shiver as he sat in front of the fire. He had always been rather resilient to the cold, so he could manage well enough...but-

He looked at the girl across from him on the other side of the fire pit and frowned. From the moment he had gotten the sleeping bag, he knew things would come to this, but he didn't enjoy it anymore. If anything, he hated it even more.

Standing up he grabbed one of the water bottles and opened it, letting several drops of water soothe his parched throat. He wanted to be careful with this water in case they may not find anymore for a while. Placing the bottle beside where he had been sitting, he then grabbed the sleeping bag and removed it from the plastic wrap. He unfurled it and let it hang in front of him surprised at how large it actually was.

Sighing at what he was about to do, he glanced over at the girl, wishing that she would wake up at that moment. But that was just wishful thinking on his part.

Walking over to her, he knelt down beside her and laid the sleeping bag out, unzipping it and opening it up. Glancing down at her again he paused for several seconds before he took his arm and slid it under her back, his arm digging into the cool sand and gliding across her back. Shinji had been correct in his assumption that her clothes were made out of some strange elastic. He brought his arm upward now, being careful to not jolt her forward suddenly so that her head lulled from side to side. She was oddly heavy for a girl her age, but Shinji attributed this to the fact that she was unconscious. She seemed rather slim as it was. With her now being propped up in a sitting position, Shinji took his other arm and placed it under her thighs before he counted to three, and lifted her gently in the air before setting her down on the warm sleeping bag. He then zipped up the sleeping bag until it was just below her neck and then leaned backwards, letting out a sigh of relief. He had been worried that she may have woken up during the whole ordeal and couldn't imagine things would have gone very well considering what he was doing.

Now that she was wrapped in the sleeping bag though, it really seemed that she was sleeping. Her mouth was slightly agape now revealing her white teeth, and Shinji had to look away. He had been very aware of how close he was to her while he had briefly carried her, almost as though she was a baby.

'Don't think like that,' Shinji told himself.

Moving away from her, he sat back down on his side of the fire and stared into the flames. Everything that had happened, everything that was going to happen was so distantly removed from Shinji's conscious that he didn't think of anything as he gazed into the fire.

It was a short time later before he fell asleep.

Shinji didn't know whether it was the shrill scream, the loud movement of something being dragged across the sand, or that his throat was suddenly being strangled by thin hands that had woken him up. But he did know one thing.

The girl was awake.

Shinji's eyes flew open as her grasp on his neck tightened, cutting off the much needed oxygen. He hadn't known when he had fallen asleep, but the fire and burned completely out now and the girl seemed to have dragged herself clear across the still smoldering embers. Shinji's eyes squinted as he fought with his brain, willing it to not cause him to pass out as he looked up at the girl choking him. It was the first time he had seen her eyes, and he momentarily forgot that she was trying to kill him. Her eyes were as clear as the sky, as clear as the ocean had once been. Her face was incredibly hard now though, scrunched up in so much anger that it looked like she was going to explode. A dark crease had appeared upon her forehead, and her pupils were wide and shrunken back into her skull. As Shinji continued to stare at her, he realized that tears had started to leak from her eyes.

Reality was brought back quickly to him however, as he felt more pressure being put on his neck. She was strong, stronger that he had imagined, and he could feel his vision starting to leave him.

'Must...do...something,' he thought desperately.

He opened his mouth to try to say something, but his brain wouldn't produce the words properly with the lack of oxygen.

'Am I...going to die?' he thought as he glanced up at her face stricken with anger.

'No...not like this,' he thought suddenly.

Forcing his right arm upward, he pressed it roughly into her chest, forcing her backwards and relinquishing the hold on his neck. Taking a quick gulp of air, he turned towards her just in time as she lunged towards him again, reaching for his neck. He batted her hand away this time and took another breathe of air, feeling his entire head spinning with the sudden burst of oxygen. He felt even more like passing out now.

Shaking off the feeling he stared back at her who had moved away from him a little now, but was still glaring hatefully at him, her eyes still filled with anger and if Shinji didn't know better, a death glare. He was now wary, not wanting to get up or move at all, so he sat in a sprawled position on the ground.

The girl glared back at him still; she was crouched in a sitting position, ready incase he decided to run for it. Only problem was, she wasn't confident that she could catch him if he really decided to run. She shifted position a little though, and winced as she did so. Shinji couldn't help but notice this.

He looked where she looked; down around her legs and all the way to her feet were large dark marks, likely the cause of when she had dragged herself across the fire pit. Shinji couldn't imagine the pain from that, but he suddenly thought of something.

Standing up, he stood in place for several seconds as he stared back at the girl several paces in front of him. Next second, he took two steps back, and then three steps back. He then turned and looked at the girl and was surprised to see that she hadn't _gotten up_, but was desperately trying to _get up_. She would place both hands on either side of her, and trying pushing her body upward, but her entire lower body didn't seem to want to listen to her.

'Did she injure herself that badly?' thought Shinji. 'Or was the reason she dragged herself across the fire because she couldn't use her legs to begin with?'

Shinji walked several steps backwards again, testing his theory again. The girl seemed to have given up however, and was now attempting to drag herself forward. As she looked up at him however, she seemed to realize that he knew she couldn't chase after him. She glared back at him, her eyes boring into his until her gaze fell and she slowly shifted her legs so that they were in front of him. The were as heavy as lead, but if she touched them, she couldn't feel any sensation.

As Shinji watched this pitifulness, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her as she dragged her legs around so she could sit properly. He was even beginning to wish she had just stayed asleep now that she was awake, and apparently wanted to kill him for some reason.

As the girl finally managed to become comfortable, she redirected her gaze at Shinji as he stood in front of her. She hating this feeling of being completely merciless in front of some stranger she didn't even know. To wake up and find somebody asleep close to her, without knowing anything about them or what they had possibly done. It made her so sick she wanted to puke.

Shinji watched her silently, his hands at his sides. He was unsure what to do in a situation like this. Having never gotten along well with humans in general, having a girl suddenly try to strangle him to death was a situation he hadn't imagined himself being in.

'We can't just stay like this forever though,' thought Shinji as he sighed.

Resigning to that fact, he sat down slowly, make sure the girl wouldn't try to go after him as he did this. She seemed to be somewhat surprised that he was sitting down now though, as her eyes widened slightly, but then quickly went back to that death stare.

They sat across from each other now, both watching each other. The girl had been initially surprised that Shinji hadn't just ran away, letting her die in that undignified way. But instead he had sat down, bringing himself down to her level. That pissed her off even more though; he was pitying her.

'I have to say something,' thought Shinji. 'But what do I say to this girl who just tried to kill me?'

Shinji didn't have a clue what to do, but didn't think this was a time to introduce himself. Looking back at her, he saw that her gaze had switched to her legs. She was examining them slowly, moving her hands over the black burns across her legs and feet. She seemed slightly more calm now as she did this, but Shinji noticed that her right eye kept flickering back to him.

'She doesn't trust me,' thought Shinji. He should have expected this somewhat, and rather wished he hadn't fallen asleep.

Though an idea came to him then.

Standing up again, the girls head came whipping around as her eyes locked on him, watching his every movement. Shinji watched her calmly before he started walking along in a wide half circle around the right side of her; her head followed him as he walked. Walking in a wide arc, he walked all the way around her to the point that she was desperately trying to look behind her but unable to see without repositioning her body. She stopped though as he came back into her field of wish. In his hands he held two bottles.

Shinji sat down again several paces in front of her and placed both water bottles next to him before he open his and took a draught out of it. The water felt cool as it slid down his throat which was still sore from when she had been choking him. Setting down his bottle, he looked across at her and saw that she wasn't looking at him angrily anymore. Her expression was one of confusion.

'What is wrong with her?' wondered Shinji almost somewhat amusedly.

Shinji waited several more seconds before he picked up the other water bottle he had brought, and rolled it across the sand; the bottle bumped gently into the girls knee. She stared down at it for several seconds, her face a mixture of expressions.

"Drink it," said Shinji tonelessly.

The girls eyes darted towards him, surprised to hear a human voice. Shinji stared back and nodded his head slowly. The girl looked back down at the water bottle before picking it up in her hands. She looked at the cap for several seconds before determining it hadn't been opened before. Quickly opening it, she took several long swallows, just realizing then how thirsty she was. The water slid down her throat, moistening her lips in the process until she paused and removed the bottle from her lips. She slowly set the bottle down next to her, but didn't remove her grip on the bottle. She looked back at Shinji then, a frown on her face.

'Is it really that strange for someone to do something like this?' thought Shinji as he looked back at her. He hadn't really expected to receive words of thanks, but knowing that she could at least talk would have been something.

Ignoring this, he raised his own bottle to lips and was about to take a drink when-

"Where are we?" asked the girl with a clear voice.

Shinji looked at her for a second through his raised bottle before he lowered it slowly and looked back at her. She was looking determinedly at him now.

Shinji took several seconds to reply until he looked across the beach to the bloodied ocean and said-

"Tokyo-3, I think."

His eyes darted back to her as he said this, he saw that her eyes had widened slightly as he said this. Was she equally confused and surprised as he was by this, or did her eyes hold a different meaning?

They sat in silence again, sipping there water quietly, but as Shinji quickly noticed, both bottles had almost been emptied already. Looks like he'd be looking for more water before the day ended. So much for saving it.

"Why is no one here?" asked the girl again.

Shinji turned towards her and replied, "I don't know. You're the only other person I've seen, and I was up in the city for these,' he said as he gestured to the water bottles.

The girl looked at him for several seconds before she turned away from him. Shinji thought he might have seen her mutter something under her breath, but he couldn't hear what it was.

Looking at her legs he couldn't think of anything else to say so he asked, "How are your legs?"

The girl glared back at him for a few seconds, not enjoying the question, but he already knew that she couldn't move, so ignoring it was pointless.

"I can't move them."

Shinji already knew this, but he still pressed the subject.

"Were they already like that before you-"

Shinji hesitated; he had been about to say before you tried strangling me.

"-before you crawled across the fire."

The girl continued glaring at him, but eventually replied, "They were already like this."

Shinji didn't think that pushing this further would do any good. Admittedly though, her being basically crippled was a problem, and he was worried about her legs, but if she didn't want to talk about it, he would just wait. He could understand that, as he certainly had things he didn't want to talk about.

Shinji stood up then, stretching his body and relieving the tension that was building between them just now. The girl watched him silently as he walked several paces away from her towards the ocean. She let out a small sigh herself then; she had been incredibly nervous since the moment she had awoken.

Shinji looked out across the ocean for several more seconds before he walked back to where the girl sat. She watched him as he passed by her and started walking towards the slope to the right of where they had sat. She shifted her body slightly, watching as he climbed the hill and was momentarily thinking that he was walking away, that he had made a decision to leave her when he bent over and picked something up. Several seconds later, he came jogging back down the hill, his arms filled with dry brush.

The words 'what are you doing,' were half formed in her mouth before her hand brushed against something. Picking it up, she realized it was a lighter, and understood then what he was doing.

Shinji walked back several seconds later with his arms full of dried drift wood. Dropping everything on the ground, he was about to look for the lighter when he realized it was in the girls hands. There eyes met, and for several seconds, Shinji was afraid that she wasn't going to give it to him. Silently, he held his hand out asking for it. He knew she must understand what he was doing by now, but was never truly sure whether sure she would give it to him. It took her several seconds until she dropped the lighter in his hands wordlessly.

Shinji didn't bother saying thanks, as he knew she had been close to not giving it to him. Was she that unable to trust him?

Lighting the fire quickly, he stood back for several seconds watching as the flames licked the wood. Across from him, the girl stared into the flames.

Looking down at her, Shinji thought, 'This is a good a time as any I suppose.'

Sitting down across the fire from her, Shinji placed his hands on his knees and said, "Look...as much as you don't trust me, and I have to say, I don't really trust you either, we seem to be the only two people in the entire city. What I guess I'm trying to say is...we have to at least stay together until we're able to find more people."

"And if nobody else comes?" asked the girl, her voice suddenly growing in volume.

Shinji was trying to be optimistic, but the way she said that made him pissed off for some reason.

"You don't believe anybody else will come?"

The girl didn't reply, already having spoken her mind.

Shinji stared back at her for a few seconds, wondering what could possibly have made her so inept in dealing with other people. He wasn't a role model by any means, but he at least did want to survive.

After several seconds of silence, Shinji finally opened his mouth and muttered, "Shinji...Shinji is my name."

The girl slowly raised her head and looked back at him. Her face was blank as she stared back at him.

Her small mouth eventually opened as she replied, "Asuka, is mine."

They both looked into the fire for several seconds before Shinji stood up and grabbed the sleeping bag and walked around the fire. The girl, Asuka, watched him as he did this and was momentarily surprised when he handed it to her.

"Wrap yourself in this," Shinji said.

Asuka watched his eyes for several seconds, searching for any hint of malicious intent in his eyes, though she couldn't find anything. She didn't really like accepting this from him, but she took it all the same.

Shinji then walked to where he had been sitting, and bent down and grabbed the lighter before he stood up again.

"Though it is still early in the morning, I'm going to enter the city again. By tonight both water bottles will be gone and I can search in daylight better than night anyways."

As he started walking towards the slope, Shinji said, "Don't try moving much either. Your legs will recover faster if you let them sit."

Asuka was just about to open her mouth and say something though when she stopped herself. What point was there in arguing with him anyway.

"I'll be back in a few hours," said Shinji as he reached the top of the slope and disappeared in a few hours.

'Like I'll believe that,' thought Asuka as she looked into the fire. She had noticed that he had taken the lighter with him.

She slowly wrapped her body in the blanket, even managing to place her legs in them. She remembered when she had woken up, and had at first thought that she was in her bed back home in Germany. Everything had been incredibly warm, but then something, a cold breeze most likely had hit her. She then noticed that she was on sand, and in a sleeping bag. She had looked around and her eyes had quickly snapped to that boy. It was only a few seconds before she was on top of him, trying to break his neck. She wondered why he hadn't brought that up yet.

'Probably waiting till I fall asleep to do something,' thought Asuka. She shivered at the thought. No, she couldn't fall asleep, not in case he did end up coming back.

She shifted positions, forcing herself to become less comfortable, but the combination of the sleeping bag and fire were making her eyes start to droop.

'Can't...sleep,' muttered Asuka.

It was moments later when her head drooped onto her chest, and she fell deeply asleep.

It took Asuka several seconds to remember where she was when she awoke, but when she did, she sat bolt upright.

"Oh...you awake?"

Her head darted to her left and saw Shinji walking over to the fire, several more pieces of wood in his arms.

Her mouth opened against her will and she stammered, "You're back?"

"I was gone for several hours and have been back for several, you've just been sleeping this whole time."

Asuka opened her mouth again, but this time clamped it closed and turned towards the fire, but only now realized it was extinguished.

"No need for a fire right now with the sun as it is," said Shinji.

Asuka looked up into the sky and saw that he was right. The sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was noon or a little after.

"I found more water," said Shinji as he pointed to several more bottles next to the fire. Asuka stared at these and then back at Shinji, confused by what she was seeing.

"Why did you come back?" she eventually asked.

Shinji set the wood down beside the fire pit and then looked at her, a frown on his face.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Asuka didn't reply, feeling like she would have rather not asked.

"Its not like I gain anything from leaving you."

"So you would if you could gain something!" Her voice was suddenly harsh.

Shinji shook his head and replied, "I didn't say that, and I wouldn't do that."

Asuka shut up briefly, but Shinji could tell that she was still seething about this. He couldn't understand this girl.

Walking around the other side of the fire pit, he sat down and opened one of the water bottles. Taking several swigs, he set it down and saw that she was staring at him intently. Wiping his mouth he let out a sigh and asked, "Is your leg any better?"

Asuka ignored him for for a while before she muttered, "No."

'At least she's talking,' thought Shinji.

"We'll we should at least clean up the burn marks from the cinders."

Shinji made to stand up, but was quickly rebutted by Asuka.

"Don't bother, I'll do it myself."

"With what? You're are not using the water in the bottles to clean those burns."

"Who said I was gonna use those?"

"Then what? Ocean water won't help you."

Asuka paused; she was going to use the water from the ocean.

"I can deal with the salt."

"I wasn't talking about that, the ocean isn't...the water is something different, some strange liquid that smells like blood. You can even smell it from here."

Now that Asuka thought about it, he was right. She could smell it from here, the stench of LCL fluid. She had become so accustomed to it that she hardly noticed it. But why had the Bay of Tokyo-3 turned to LCL fluid? Or was it just like she had thought when this boy told her they were in the remnants of Tokyo-3?

Letting out a sigh, Asuka grabbed the empty water bottle and threw it at Shinji. "Just fill this with the stuff in the ocean. Who cares what it is."

"But it could harm you."

'If it could harm me I'd be dead by now,' thought Asuka snidely.

"Don't worry about it," said Asuka as she waved him off. "Just get the stuff and I'll do the rest."

Shinji stared at her for several more seconds, wondering why she was so positive that the stuff was fine.

"Okay," he said eventually.

It took him only a few minutes to fill the bottle when he reached the ocean. It was strange, it felt like sand when he ran his hands through it, but it clearly fit in the bottle as a liquid.

Taking it back to Asuka, he handed her the bottle and she quickly opened it and spread it on her outstretched leg. She immediately winced.

"Does it hurt?" asked Shinji.

Asuka took a few seconds to reply.

"Yes, but thats because of the salt."

"Salt?"

"The salt from the ocean mixed with this stuff."

"So thats why it felt like sand," mumbled Shinji.

"Most likely," replied Asuka, 'though several of its other properties probably caused that affect,' she thought silently.

It didn't take long for Asuka to clean the burns on her legs; thankfully they weren't that bad, but her legs still wouldn't move.

The day passed slowly afterwards and Shinji and Asuka barely talked to each other during this time. Shinji was constantly keeping the fire burning, wanting to keep his mind occupied with something, while Asuka seemed to have been lost in her own thoughts, curled in the warmth of the sleeping bag.

The sun began sinking across the ocean eventually and Asuka opened her eyes and turned towards it. Shinji, who had thought she had been asleep turned towards her and was momentarily surprised at how beautiful she looked with the orange and red rays of the sun hitting her face.

"What exactly are we going to do now?" asked Asuka suddenly as she turned back towards the fire.

Shinji didn't know himself, which was the problem. He had been maintaining his sanity be doing everything by the moment, by the minute, and by the hour. If he had to think about the days to come, he wasn't sure what they would do. They couldn't just keep living like this.

Shinji's stomach rumbled then, and he was reminded of his hunger once again. He hadn't found food again today, which was growing to be a problem. If he didn't find any tomorrow...

"I don't know," replied Shinji slowly.

'And here I thought you had a solution to everything,' thought Asuka bitterly. But at the same time, she realized just how worried Shinji was about things, even if he didn't say anything. She supposed that it had been different for him when he had found himself here, all by himself until he found her. But even then he didn't know whether she would awake. If she had been in his position...

"Can I ask you something?" asked Shinji suddenly.

"...What?" replied Asuka after a seconds pause.

"Why did you trying killing me?"

Asuka had been waiting for this question from him and had been surprised that it hadn't come sooner.

"How would you have reacted if you were in my place?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Waking up without any idea where you were with some boy sleeping across from you."

'Isn't choking someone still going too far?' thought Shinji.

Asuka didn't want to spell it out for him though, so she didn't. If he didn't understand what she was getting at, it was better that way. The less he knew about her, the better.

The sun across the horizon set and in several short hours, a new day would be starting.

Asuka rolled over, facing away from the fire and covered herself from head to toe in the sleeping back. The plug suit didn't make sleeping particularly comfortable, but it was something she had wondered about before. She couldn't remember wearing her plug suit or going in for any tests before this all happened. She couldn't really remember much of what she had done during that day was the problem.

Shinji continued sitting in front of the fire, his head resting in his hands. He had gotten a headache sometime during the past hour, and hoped that it would subside sooner or later. He was unwillingly thinking about tomorrow and what it would bring. Asuka's leg didn't seem to be getting any better, so they would have to stay on the beach for a while. If he was honest, he would have preferred to have found a place to stay in the city; at least it would be close to more supplies.

Placing more wood onto the fire, he lay down on the cool sand and rolled onto his back so that he was looking up at the sky. It was still hard to comprehend what had happened, since it felt like he had been sitting in a classroom until just a little while ago. But things were as they were.

It took both Shinji and Asuka a long time to fall asleep that first night that they were together, mainly because both were still a bit wary of the other, but when they finally did, it was almost in unison.

* * *

><p><strong>And I would just like to say Dear God FanFiction has changed a lot during these past few months. <strong>


	3. Conflict

**This chapter has long been in the works but I've finally gotten it done. I don't think I'll be updating again until December when I'll actually have some free time so hopefully this holds everyone over until then**.

* * *

><p>Asuka was the first to wake that next morning, and at first, she almost reacted exactly as she did the previous day.<p>

Her eyes opened slowly with her eyelashes fluttering softly. She was bundled up warmly in the sleeping bag, but the cold breeze that blew against her exposed face awoke her slowly. She turned to her right, and what remaining drowsiness remained disappeared in an instance. She saw Shinji, or his back to be precise, turned away from her. She might have tried strangling him again if it wasn't for the fact that the fire was still burning heavily in-between them.

She let out a sigh then and turned away from him; she hated being as helpless as she was.

The sun which had been low on the horizon when Asuka had awoken was now starting to rise in the sky, casting shadows across the water as the sun beat down on the capsized battleships that littered the coastline. Asuka drifted in and out of sleep during this time, but felt restless now. It almost felt like she had been sleeping for years.

She heard movement beside her eventually though, and saw Shinji slowly rising from where he sat. He rubbed his eyes gently as he washed the weariness from his body and sat upright with his legs crisscrossed. Turning towards Asuka, he saw that she was already awake.

"You're awake already?" said Shinji somewhat surprised.

Asuka paused for a second before she said, "I've been up for a while."

It was Shinji's turn to be silent now. He had thought about it last night, whether she would try anything again like the day before. At least he could trust her to not try killing him again.

"Your legs still the same?" he asked.

Asuka nodded again.

"I see," replied Shinji dejectedly.

"Well sorry to slow you down," said Asuka, growing haughty suddenly.

Shinji was rather taken aback by this and replied, "I didn't mean it like that."

"Whatever," grumbled Asuka as she turned away from him, her face creased in anger.

'Why the hell did I get this-'

Shinji paused, as he had been thinking something rather rude, though albeit true.

Standing up, he ignored her past comments and said, "Either way, I don't think we will be able to continue like this."

Asuka shot him a look of pure malice, but Shinji didn't notice. If he thought she would allow him to touch her in any way-

"I'm sure you're hungry as well," said Shinji finishing his thought. "I mean, I don't know when the last time either of us have eaten, but I know food is more important right now than arguing."

Asuka caught back the words she had been about to throw at him. She had thought that he had about to suggest he carry her into the city, to find a better location or something. Though she didn't want to admit it, she was feeling awfully hungry.

"So you'll be going into the city again?" she asked.

"Yeah, in a bit," replied Shinji as he grabbed one of the remaining water bottles and sipped it slowly. "The water wont last much longer either."

Asuka frowned at his almost earnestness to leave. Did he want to get away from her that badly?

"The weather looks like it'll be worse today, so keep the fire going with the remaining sticks."

"And if it goes out while your gone?"

"Stay warm under the sleeping bag?" Shinji suggested.

"What a plan," said Asuka as she rolled her eyes.

"If you don't wanna contribute, then don't," said Shinji, finally getting fed up with Asuka's attitude.

"And if you think I'm slowing you down, just leave then!" Asuka fired back.

'You stupid girl,' thought Shinji angrily.

"Do what you want then," said Shinji as he started walking away from her.

Asuka watched him until he was out of earshot before she mumbled, "Asshole."

* * *

><p>Climbing the top of the hill, Shinji briefly looked back at Asuka and saw that she was staring into the depths of the roaring fire. He really couldn't understand why she was being so stuck up. It was like there was a insurmountable wall that she had placed over herself that he couldn't see the top of. But if she was going to be like that...<p>

'Maybe it would be better to just leave her,' Shinji thought for a moment. But could he honestly just leave her to fend for herself? He didn't think so, even if she was being abrasive.

Passing by the lonely cars, he started walking further into the city, thinking where he should look for food. By now, he had a walked this part of the city enough to recognize buildings that he had passed before and even had something like a map tucked away in his mind. He knew which buildings he had already searched, which didn't have anything useful, and which seemed completely unhelpful. But each time he entered the city, he kept on pushing further in a little more each time. However, it was only a matter of time until he exhausted what the city had to offer. Things were more dire than he cared to elaborate on.

The one thing he hadn't found yet was a supermarket, and that was what he was planning on searching for now.

Passing the sporting goods store he had found on his first trip into the city, he ventured further into the city. As he went deeper in though, he noticed that the skyscrapers and buildings were different here, in that they seemed to have been destroyed by external reasons. Shinji was puzzled by this as he looked at one tower. The side of it looked almost as though a hand had scooped a large portion of the metal away.

Passing by this building, he walked down a side street that was littered with small, secondhand shops. Shinji didn't know what he had stumbled upon, but it seemed to be a rougher part of Tokyo-3 then he had ever seen before.

Exiting this side street, he walked out onto a main street, passing by the empty cars as he did. What looked like a convenience store/gas station loomed into his view, and for a moment he was exited. But then he saw the large hole at the front of the store and knew he wasn't getting past that.

Walking down the street aways, he spent a few minutes trying to get into a store that seemed promising before he gave up. The front door seemed to have been barred from the inside, and he didn't have anything to break the glass.

He was starting to wonder if he shouldn't just back track so he didn't get lost though when he spotted a buildings off in the distance, or at least a sign. He stared at it for several seconds before he started walking in its direction. Several other buildings eclipsed its view until he rounded a corner that opened up into a small parking lot.

Shinji stood in the empty parking lot for several seconds, before he started making his way to the store at the other end. It wasn't a grocery store per se, more like a store that seemed to sell everything. Whats more, it seemed to be in decent condition. It wasn't large by any means like those large supermarkets you sometimes see at malls, but it would hopefully meet his needs. At least, Shinji hoped this.

Walking up to the door, Shinji wasn't at all surprised that it didn't open. The electricity was gone, as it was with every other store in the area. But he wasn't going to accept this. Looking around the parking lot, he spotted some empty shopping carts and hoped this would do the trick. Grabbing one, he ran it right into the door with everything he had, making a long crack appear in the glass. Running at it again, the glass broke in several places this time, and Shinji was able to kick the rest of the glass away and force himself into the store.

As he stood up, he looked up at the wide ceiling above him, his mouth opened slightly in a gasp. As he walked past the cash registers the lined the front of the store, he stared down the isles at the amount of goods on the shelves. Admittedly, the majority of them didn't seem to be able to help them in anyways. Furniture, toys, kitchen supplies, light fixtures, and garden supplies took up a large portion of the store. Things which Shinji would never need...unless he was building a house, but he didn't see that happening anytime soon.

As he walked further into the store though, he crinkled his nose as he smelled something foul. It wasn't quite as bad as the rat which he had smelled two days before, but it still made his nostrils flare. As he inched closer towards the smell, he realized what it was. A small sectioned of area of the store appeared to have stocked produce at one point. Now though, without the electricity to keep it cold, it had started rotting rather quickly. Shinji was just thankful that the place didn't seem to stock meat.

Walking past the produce he walked down several isles, none of which had anything that he would deem useful, unless he got desperate enough to eat dog food.

'This place has produce, but nothing else? Does that even make sense,' he thought. It didn't seem like the place had been picked clean either.

"Was it pointless to even come in here?" asked Shinji to the empty store.

As he started walking back towards the entrance of the store though, he spotted something which he was surprised he had missed. Afterall, beside cash registers, there was almost always candy for kids to beg to there parents for.

Jogging up to cash register he paused and bent over, looking at what he had missed when he had come in.

Not just candy bars, but several bags of chips lined the sides of the cash registers. Shinji felt his stomach rumbling suddenly, realizing just how hungry he was then. He thought briefly of Asuka then, knowing that no matter how grouchy she was, she couldn't possibly deny food.

Grabbing as many candy bars as he could and stuffing them in his pocket, he grabbed two bags of chips each. It would have been nice to find a backpack now to carry everything, but he couldn't complain now he supposed that they had food.

Just as he was about to leave though, he grabbed two more bottles of water that had been in a small refrigerator beside the candy. Stuffing the two bottles in his back pocket, he slowly made his way out of the store.

* * *

><p>As Shinji made his way back down the hill leading to the beach, he saw Asuka curled up in the sleep bag. Thinking that she was sleeping, he walked slower as he neared her, but as she started moving restlessly, forbore all pretenses that he cared whether she was awake or not.<p>

Sitting down across the fire from her, he started unloading his pockets just as Asuka slowly sat up and turned towards him. Shinji noticed this, but was still silent, remembering there argument from earlier. Asuka however was the first to speak, mainly because she noticed that Shinji had indeed come back with food.

"Back already?"

"You say that like you didn't think I would be back," replied Shinji bluntly.

Asuka narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Here," said Shinji as he passed her a bag of chips and two candy bars.

Asuka looked down at them and grimaced.

"Is this it?"

"Sorry I wasn't able to cook you a three course meal. If you don't like it, then don't eat it."

Asuka mumbled the word asshole under her breath, but didn't say anything. Instead, she silently popped open her bag of chips and silently ate the meager meal. Shinji did likewise, and the two of them lapsed into silence.

Though Shinji kept thinking.

If this was what they were expected to live off of, then was the entire thing hopeless after all? Asuka didn't seem pleased no matter what Shinji brought back, and this only made him feel more miserable. At first, he had been happy that he had someone else to talk to, but Asuka was such an unsociable person, that talking to her was like trying to reason with a rabid dog. They bit you no matter what you did.

Finishing his own bag of chips and candy bar, he threw the wrapper to the side. If it was the end of civilization, then did it really matter if he littered or not.

Asuka seemed to have finished as well, though she threw her wrapper into the fire instead, almost in stark contrast to what Shinji had done. Turning away from him, she wrapped the sleeping bag around herself and blatantly ignored him.

Shinji sat in silence for a while, staring into the fire, though not really seeing it. He was peering through, staring at Asuka's back. If they were indeed the only two people left in the city, or even the world for that matter (though he didn't want to admit that) then weren't they almost forced to work together...to live together. Or did she hate him so much that she would rather die than cooperate? Shinji didn't know, but as things were, they would sooner kill each other than work together.

Against his will, he stood up from where he was sitting, and walked around to Asuka's side. Asuka almost immediately sensed movement, and the covers of the sleeping bag came off in a whirl. Shinji was surprised by this sudden turn in hostility, and even more surprised by what was grasped in Asuka's hand. One of the large sticks that had been used for kindling was grasped in Asuka's hand. Its tip was slightly pointed, and Shinji could only guess how she had gotten it that way.

They both froze in there respective places, both eying each other evenly, waiting for someone to make a move. Shinji didn't have confidence in his own abilities really though, and knew that if things came to blows, he would be the one hurting instead.

Taking several steps back he watched Asuka's eyes follow him slowly, those ocean blue eyes of hers filled with malice. Why was she so unable to trust him?

"Hey...listen-" but Asuka cut him off rudely.

"I won't hesitate to use this if I have to!"

Shinji knew that she wasn't lying, and didn't want to give her any reason to stab him with it.

"Will you just listen to-"

"You don't have anything to say to me that I care to hear!"

"Why are you being like this?"

Asuka clammed up, and seemed unwilling to talk, but Shinji wasn't going to accept this.

"You don't like me, I don't like you. Okay...fine...whatever. And I know your legs still don't work and I understand that you're frustrated about that."

"How the fuck would you know how I feel!? How the fuck would you understand me!? You don't know anything about me!" yelled Asuka.

"I know that you're being stubborn and unreasonable!" Shinji fired back. "But we don't know anything about each other than our fucking names!"

"And thats the way it'll stay!"

Shinji was so furious at her that he suddenly rose to his feet, which made Asuka tighten her grip on the stick she held. But Shinji's next move surprised her slightly.

"Fine. You want to be like this? Fine! You can die of starvation on this beach for all I care."

Shinji stormed over to his side of the fire and gathered up the remaining food, the water bottles, and the lighter, and started marching up the side of the hill.

"I'd rather starve than be stuck interacting with a piece of shit like you!" Asuka called back at him. "I hope something falls on you and crushes your lower body."

"So then I'll understand what you feel like!?"

"Yeah!"

Shinji glared at her with such anger in his eyes that he could feel his entire body shaking. And what else was there? Something else inside him felt like it had snapped. He suddenly wanted to choke the life out of this bitch!

'I'm not wasting another moment around her!'

Marching away from the fire, he walked up the slope leading into the city and paused briefly as he reached the top. He looked back down the hill to where Asuka was. She was staring blankly into the fire.

'If she thinks she's better off on her own, then I won't waste anymore time on her.'

With that thought, Shinji walked into the city.

* * *

><p>Shinji had little to no trouble navigating his way through the streets that he had become rather accustomed to. Noon had passed and afternoon was starting to set into evening when Shinji decided to take a break. He had been walking for most of the time since he had left the beach, but didn't have any goal in mind. In fact, his mind was entirely blank for the most part. He had walked back to the store he had visited that morning and had grabbed several more bags of chips, but in his daze, had quickly eaten them.<p>

He didn't want to think about it, but his mind always wandered to her. He couldn't help but wonder about her. Surely, if her leg didn't heal in two days, it was very probable that she could die. He tried to push this thought away, put he kept on thinking it would be his fault if she died. On the other hand though, she didn't want him around, loathed him so much that she would rather die alone than together. There was something fundamentally wrong with that logic.

Sitting on the side of the street against a curb, he rested his head in his hands as he stared ahead of him. This side of the city seemed to be heavily destroyed by things that didn't even seem like human weapons. The buildings had large gouges almost scraped out of them.

What had happened here in Tokyo-3? The end of the world? Well, something seemed to have caused that ending. And why was it that Shinji's memory was so spotty in this aspect. It was like he had woken up on another planet. Was Asuka's memory missing pieces as Shinji's was, or did she remember everything that had transpired? If she did, then maybe that would explain her attitude. She could even have had something to do with it...maybe...

But that didn't make much sense, considering she seemed just as old as Shinji.

'I shouldn't be thinking of those things, especially if I plan on not returning.'

But could Shinji live with himself if he didn't return? Could he live with her death on his hands. Even so, what if she was the only person alive besides him? What then?

'She made her own decision, and I made mine,' thought Shinji.

Standing up, he started walking deeper in the destroyed city.

* * *

><p>At the same time Shinji was taking his break, Asuka was having problems of her own. She didn't know how many hours had gone by since Shinji had left, but the fire had died significantly since then. She had slowly added the remaining sticks and small logs to the fire in increments, but that didn't change the fact that the fire was dying, and that she didn't have anymore kindling. Whats more, she had half a bottle of water left. Though she supposed, if worse came to worse, she could drink LCL fluid. Getting there was an entirely different problem though.<p>

Just as Shinji was thinking the same thing, the thought crossed Asuka's mind that if her legs didn't heal in two days, then she would be in serious trouble if she was left by herself. The amount of energy and exertion that was put into dragging her body across the sand was more than she had expected, and she could respect handicapped people more now. Her energy seemed to drain out of her body quickly, and it didn't help that the food had only made her more hungry.

As the fire continued dying until almost only embers remained though, she had to make a decision. Pulling herself out of the comfort of her sleeping bag, she pushed herself upward so that she was in a sitting position. The nearest pieces of drift wood couldn't have been further than twenty feet, but that seemed almost like a mile to her. Steeling herself for the journey, she made several hesitating moves until she forced herself forward, clawing at the sand.

No matter how it had happened, Asuka was glad that Shinji wasn't around to see her pitiful state. It was beneath her to be crawling on her stomach like the whore of a pimp. She was a fucking Evangelion pilot after all! The only thing that she was remotely thankful, was that the plug suit was elastic, so that it seemed to repel the sand away from it.

Her legs were as heavy as lead, but still, she dragged herself forward. After a few minutes of this, her hand clasped the rotted wood and she turned around, and threw it over to the fire. She would need several more of that size if she hoped to keep the fire going. Turning back to the scattered wood, she felt her resolve falter a bit. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this miserable...not since her days in Germany probably. But she was alive at least, which is more than you could say for her mind during her days with-

'Don't think about that place,' thought Asuka bitterly. 'I'm passed all that now. I'm my own person.'

The pain and the memories would remain though.

Asuka spent several more minutes dragging herself to pieces of dry wood and then flinging them over her head until she decided that enough was enough. Slowly, she started dragging herself back towards the fire pit. By now, her entire body was coated in sweat that was seeping into her eyes.

The struggle back was even more difficult, and seemed to take even longer. Even though she wasn't cold right now, she knew that if the fire went out, she'd be in trouble. Shinji had taken the lighter with him, and though she was confident she could make a fire without a lighter, her legs wouldn't allow it.

Stacking several of the smaller logs on the fire, she slowly built it up again until it was burning peacefully again.

Finished with her work, she rolled over onto her back and rested on the sleeping bag with a hand covering her forehead. Her hair laid splayed out on the cold sand, but she didn't care about that right now. If she could just rest her eyes for a few seconds, then the pain and hurt would hopefully go away...

Right?

* * *

><p>Night had finally descended on Tokyo-3, and still Shinji hadn't found a place to sleep for the night. Pavement wasn't exactly the most comfortable, and for some reason he didn't want to sleep in a car. Even the sand at the beach would feel better than what asphalt could offer him.<p>

As he thought this, he turned around and stared off towards the beach he had come from. He didn't know how many miles he had walked, or how long it had been, but he had looked behind him at one point and was able to see a thin cloud of smoke lifting into the air as the sun shown through it. At least she was able to keep warm.

Shinji had abandoned thinking of her by her named and simply denoted her as "she." It made things a little easier not having to associate her with anyone he knew. She was simply a stepping stone down whatever path he had started walking on.

'Though the path doesn't seem to be leading me anywhere specific,' thought Shinji as he looked around him.

And he couldn't have been more specific.

Though he didn't know it, he was standing on ground that his feet had once treaded in a not so distant, but forgotten memory. The ground around him looked as though it had been bulldozed into oblivion, and the buildings around were little more than rubble. The bombing and shelling had been the worst in this area, but that wasn't the half of it. If she had come with him, she could have taken one look at the rubble, and guessed what had probably happened. But since Shinji didn't have anything to do with Nerv, he wouldn't have a clue.

Be that as it may, his current path was taking him towards the hills above Tokyo-3, and though they were still far off, Shinji was starting to see them clearer every few feet or so. He was remarkably surprised at how well he was able to see in the dark, and still surprised that he had hardly gotten tired during this journey. His stamina didn't seem like it had once...or maybe he had just never applied himself properly.

Pushing onwards, Shinji was starting to think that he may be able to reach the hills before night ended. His water supply wasn't bad, and he still had several bags of chips left. Only problem was when he got to the hills. What then?

He didn't know, but anything would be better than plodding around the city all night and day.

Making up his mind, he started walking at a brisker pace, and told himself that he would reach the hills before sun up. That was around the time when she woke from her slumber, her scream echoing in the night.

Whether Shinji heard it or not, he didn't give any motion of turning back.

* * *

><p>Asuka's scream wasn't unbidden, nor was it like her to show such fear so suddenly.<p>

She awoke with a start, and was assaulted with such pain in her legs that her mouth opened up and a voice she hadn't heard since she was a kid escaped it. She was screaming in pain. Through the pain though, she remembered a vivid memory which may have been the thing that awoke her. She was back there, back were she never belonged, back in hell. The memory and the pain became too much, and all at once she felt tears streaking down her face. When was the last time she had cried? Years ago? Surely it wasn't in recent years, and she had hardened her resolve since then. But even that could be broken so easily if something stronger shook her.

Her legs felt inflamed, like thousands of hot embers had struck them simultaneously. It must have been the exertion from earlier. Her muscles were screaming in pain, and so was she.

Asuka bit down on her lips, forcing herself not to be weak, to not let her voice out. If she could beat the pain, she would be fine. But showing weakness...that was unacceptable.

Sitting up, she grabbed one of her legs, and slowly moved it, still bitting down on her lips as she did so. If she screamed, he might hear it, and he would come and-

'Stop it,' Asuka told herself. 'He left and he's not coming back!'

Who was he though? Shinji, or-

"STOP IT!" Asuka screamed, not to her legs, but whatever had happened in her previous life.

Her chest heaving, her breath shallow, Asuka breathed in angrily, not even seeming to notice that the pain was slowly subsiding. But a new pain was slowly creeping in called reality. Reality of what she was facing, what would happen if her legs didn't get better. She wasn't even sure she could deal with dragging herself forward. The last bottle of water was gone, and there was no way she would be inching near the surf of Tokyo-3.

The pain had disappeared now, and she slowly lay herself back on the sleeping bag. She didn't even bother to check that the fire had died out completely. At that point, she didn't feel like doing anything different.

Asuka had always been strong, stubborn, cold of heart, even sometimes ruthless. But not being in control was something she had never experienced in a long time. Having to rely on somebody else...she thought she would rather die than have that happen. Now though, that prospect wasn't looking too bad.

Asuka slept fitfully that night, passing in and out of sleep and being occasionally awoken by her paining legs. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Shinji plodded on his useless walk, not realizing what was happening behind him.

* * *

><p>True to his word, Shinji made it to the foothills of Tokyo-3 and just started climbing it when the tip of the sun climbed over the ocean. By the time it was reaching high point in the sky, he had climbed the top of one of the smaller hills and looked out across the city. He allowed himself two hours of sleep, and then was up again.<p>

Shinji had decided that this hike was largely to determine what he was dealing with, and get an idea of the state of the city. Though something was nagging at him in the back of his mind.

All in all, he didn't learn much about the city that he could have guessed from just seeing when he had walked. Much of it was destroyed near the center, but near the beach it seemed more intact. He didn't see any lights coming from the buildings down bellow, so nothing had electricity. But that was a given. Though it may have registered, he didn't think about the lack of smoke coming from the beach.

Sitting down in the grass, he popped open a bag of chips and slowly ate them. He had been more careful with them since he had decided to hike up the hill, but that didn't mean he had an infinite supply. He thought that his chance of finding fresh water may be better up here then in the city.

Looking out across the destroyed city, Shinji briefly wondered about his father. His father was something of an enigma to him; he never really understood him, and sometimes even hated him for shuffling him around most of his life. How many places had he lived before coming to Tokyo-3? Shinji didn't know, but guessed it was in the double digits.

Finishing his bag of chips, he threw the bag on the ground and stood up, stretching as he did. He wished he had something like a backpack right about now, but wishing wasn't doing him any good. Instead, he turned his attention to the many hills behind him, stretching out into the distance. Between here and there, he didn't see any sign of water, only a smattering of several houses along the country roads. Out here though, it didn't seem like much had been affected by whatever had destroyed Tokyo-3.

'I'll probably find more food and water in those houses,' thought Shinji.

With this comforting thought, he started walking down the other side of the hill, while behind him, Tokyo-3 melted in the scenery.

* * *

><p>The pain and the weariness had kept Asuka awake during most of the night, and it was only when the sun rose, that she was finally able to sleep more comfortably. It seemed that her legs weren't paining her as long as she was warm, and it was probably the lack of fire that had spurred the pain.<p>

She was sitting up now and staring into the dead embers of the fire; her mind was a blank however. How much longer would she last? Another day? Two more? A week? What was the possibility of that even? No food, no water, how long could a human live like that?

Asuka shook her head suddenly, trying to clear her thoughts. Thinking like that would only prove worse after all. Her legs weren't hurting right now, so while they were like this, it was best to make the most of the situation.

Still unable to stand up, Asuka swiveled around and grabbed one of the empty water bottles that was next to her. Struggling forward, Asuka crawled her way across the sand as she made her way towards the ocean. She couldn't live long without water, that much was true, and while her leg held out, she planned to make that reality true.

Again though, crawling across the ground like this brought back bitter memories of home. The filth, the vomit, that entire house had been a cage that she was kept in the first eight years of her life.

'And yet this is still somehow better,' laughed Asuka internally. This somewhat brought her spirits up slightly, and she continued moving forward at a faster pace.

As she neared the ocean, she could feel the spray hit her face as the wind whipped her hair around. Briefly, she rested and enjoyed the feel of the cool morning air as it struck her face, but she quickly returned to the matter at hand.

Reaching the surf, she laid down just as it swept under her, cooling her sweating back and face as the spray continued hitting her. She placed the back of her hand over her forehead and laughed clearly. She was laughing at whatever had placed her in this situation, laughing that she had defied her fears, laughing that she had beat him again.

"I'm still alive you bastard," said Asuka towards to sky.

She hadn't laughed at all since she had awoken in the bombed out shelter that was Tokyo-3, but it felt refreshing.

Regaining her composure, she turned the bottle that she had held in her hand down towards the LCL fluid and filled it slowly.

'I don't think I'll even be able to notice a difference in taste at this point,' thought Asuka as she watched the fluid fill to the rim of the bottle. She had been practicing to be an Eva pilot now for so long that she could drink this stuff like water.

Filling the bottle to the top, she capped it and placed it beside her, enjoying this brief moment of rest. The sun beat down on her red hair, turning it a brilliant orange sheen. Basking in the warmth of the sun for a while, she finally decided that it was best for her to head back. Maybe she could even get a fire started at this rate. She was feeling fairly good right now after all. She even forgot that her legs weren't working and even tried standing up. She found that funny for some reason and smiled slightly.

Taking several drinks of water from the surf (it really didn't taste any different), she started slowly crawling her way back.

All too quickly, a sharp pain seared through her legs and made her stop suddenly. She took several large gasps of air, trying to ignore the pain. It would subside if she just waited long enough. Asuka told herself this, but it didn't help to alleviate the pain. Whatever happened though, she couldn't let herself cry like she had last night.

Fighting against the pain she continued moving forward, biting down on her lips until blood flew forth. This helped clear her mind slightly, but the pain was starting to blind her now. How was it that this had happened to her? Was it because of her decision to become an Evangelion pilot? Would she even still be alive if she wasn't one. What had happened to Tokyo-3?

It took Asuka much longer to get back to the makeshift camp, and we she finally did, she collapsed into a heap of weariness and despair.

* * *

><p>Many miles away, Shinji was having second guesses about his decision. He had long ago reached the bottom of the valley, but the houses he had been in didn't hold anything significant. He was starting to regret his decision.<p>

The only upside was that the scenery was at least quite beautiful.

Shinji had never ventured over the hills before, which made sense, since he hadn't been in Tokyo-3 that long, but he could have imagined himself living here at one point. Even now, he found that idea to be quite pleasant.

Bring matters back to hand though, he had to think about what to do next.

He was sitting on the porch of some forsaken house. He had already been through every room and hadn't found anything except some water in the fridge. He had hoped that the plumbing was still working, but the faucet had been bare. His food was gone now, and he was just starting to get hungry.

He had thought that since the houses here hadn't been touched by whatever had befallen Tokyo-3, that they should have plenty of supplies in them. He hadn't thought about the sparsity of these houses in the first place. It wasn't like any small town or anything. Since Tokyo-3 was just over the hill, most people would just drive over it and buy whatever they needed in the city. Out here in the countryside, people only lived here to escape the noise and smell of the city, and that was very few people. All in all, not even fifteen houses filled the green valley.

Shinji kicked his feet absently at the dirt ground bellow him, his legs swinging slightly as they dangled off the porch. What decision would be best now? He was at least two days out from the city, and maybe four from the beach, but going back now didn't seem like something he could bring upon himself. Hadn't he already given up on what was behind him?

'Yet you still never met another person while walking here,' a voice told Shinji.

Maybe that had been another part of it. Deep in the back of his mind, he told himself that if he branched out further, there would be a better chance to find other people that may have survived. But there didn't seem to be anybody else within a fifty mile radius.

'So what was the point of all this then?' he asked himself.

'Weren't you just running away again? Isn't that all you ever do?'

'She forced me into that.'

'You made the conscious decision to abandon her though.'

'Like me being there would have made a difference.'

'It did though. Without you, she may have died earlier...she may be dead now though.'

No, not that. That was the past. I can't think about things like that if I'm going to survive.

"Survive? With what?" mumbled Shinji.

He didn't have anything except the lighter he had brought, and a lot of good it had done him; he hadn't even bothered making a fire since he had left. He didn't even think he had flicked it on since then.

Bringing it out of his pocket, he flicked it on and watched the flame dance in front of him for several seconds until he flicked it off. He stuffed it back in his pocket and stood up, throwing his arms above him as he reached to the sky. Clouds loomed above him. They weren't exactly dark, but Shinji didn't think it would take much for that to change.

Again, he was having second thoughts, thoughts he couldn't spare to have.

But-

"Damn it," grumbled Shinji.

Which path should he choose? What would be best for him? Was it better to fight on his own, or share it with someone?

'I've never craved human interactions...I've always associated with people as little as possible, but now, I'm being forced into it almost. And though I don't know for certain, I almost feel that it has been the same for her...for Asuka.'

It had been a long time since he had spoken her name, and he was surprised how easily the words came to his lips, almost as they were always there, just waiting to be spoken.

'She hates me, and I hate her. Okay, fair enough, but I don't think we have a choice but to live together for the time being, whether we like it or not.'

Shinji turned his gaze then towards the hill that he had climbed down earlier that day.

'How much of an idiot have I been?' wondered Shinji.

He was afraid to know the truth honestly, as he didn't know what would await him on that beach now.

'If she's alive...she is...'

'And if not?'

Shinji didn't respond, not wanting to think about a what if scenario. If that was true though, and that she had died because of his selfishness, he wouldn't be long for this world either.

"If I take short breaks, I should be able to reach her within three days," mumbled Shinji.

He didn't see a problem with his stamina, which he hadn't had much of a problem with. It was the water that he was worried about, if only a little.

"It shouldn't become a problem," Shinji told himself before he started retracing his steps to a life he had almost abandoned.

* * *

><p>Asuka didn't wake back up at all the rest of the day, and whether her leg pained her in her fitful sleep, she didn't know. When she did wake up the next day, the dream she had been having hit her.<p>

She had been warm, which was a stark contrast to how she felt now. But it was more than that, it had been a memory that she hadn't thought of in a long time. A time before everything had gone wrong. When she had been happy, when her mother was still alive, when her...

Asuka cut herself off then; she didn't need to be thinking about that first thing in the morning.

The warmth though had unfortunately been a lie, and it was probably brought on by the fact that her body itself was unusually cold.

It took Asuka a few seconds to remember the disastrous attempt at getting water the day before and the assault of pain that had followed. She had slept outside the sleeping bag and only now realized the wetness that covered the sleeping bag. Surprised by this suddenly, she leaned to her left and placed on a hand on the sand; it was wet.

'Did it rain last night?' wondered Asuka.

This seemed to be the most obvious reason, and as Asuka looked at the sleeping bag closer, she noticed that it was soaked as well. She only hadn't noticed it before because she herself was freezing. If not for the plug suit, she would be even more cold she reminded herself. At least it did trap some heat.

'Well this sucks,' thought Asuka.

As if things couldn't get any worse, her legs started to ache. Not terribly, but Asuka guessed that with her body temperature the way it was, it was only a matter of time before it hurt more. The sun at least was high in the sky now, so at most it would warm up eventually.

Asuka had only this to look forward to.

Though as the day continued, even that didn't seem to show much promise. Though the sun was in the sky, the ocean breeze that came over the beach was icy and stung her already cold skin.

Without anyway to keep warm Asuka was left to turn away from the ocean and let the wind hit her back.

As day progressed into night, hunger was starting to hit her. The empty water bottle that she had filled yesterday lay empty beside her. Eventually, she had ignored the coldness of the sleeping bag and bundled up inside of it. The combination of her body temperature and cotton of the sleeping bag would get warmer faster instead of being left by itself.

Asuka sneezed suddenly and felt a chill go down her spine. Now of all times, was she really getting a cold? There wasn't much she could do about that except bury herself deeper into the sleeping bag.

Late into the night, Asuka was awoken by the pain in her legs. It felt like it was on fire...or was the her forehead? She felt cold, but her head was burning hot.

'A fever?' she thought dazedly.

The coldness was finally starting to do its work on her.

* * *

><p>The next day was much the same as the previous. In the morning, Asuka felt slightly better, but as the day began to change to night, the fever and pain of her legs started up quickly. She wasn't sure whether dehydration was a factor in this, but she had started hallucinating. Her dreams were more wild and random now. Half formed images swam in front of her eyes of her dead mother and other people she had known in her short life. Was this how everything was going to end? On the beach of Tokyo-3, freezing to death and dying of starvation and a fever?<p>

What could she do though?

'I wonder what he's doing,' Asuka thought suddenly.

His face came into her mind then, and held her attention for a brief moment. But no, he was miles away by now, and even if he decided to come back, she'd already be dead by then.

As Asuka thought this, the weight of what was happening came crashing down on top of her.

She was going to die, it was as simple as that.

Dying was something that she had somewhat excepted. As an Evangelion pilot, it was something that she had to live with. She knew that, but dying like this was unbefitting of her. Helpless and unable to do anything, she hated herself for this.

At the last though, she wouldn't cry. She had already cried once, and that was more the pain than anything, but she wouldn't cry now. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of that. Even if she was impaled, she wouldn't cry.

She never knew the irony of that thought.

Sleep came and went that night, and the pain was unrelenting, not giving her a second to think. Her mind felt like it was on fire from the fever, and thinking clearly was nigh on impossible. Her thoughts came and went and her vision was murky from the pain. Her body would cease functioning and everything would be released. She had read during biology that when an animal died, its excrement was released. Was that going to happen to her? Was her body going to be soiled? Would it matter though? She'd be dead after all.

Death didn't come that night though, and Asuka was left to suffer through it. If not for the plug suit though, she'd have died sooner she reminded herself.

The next day dawned, warmer than the previous, but Asuka didn't feel better in the slightest. The sun beat down on her, turning her freezing body burning hot. Her legs still felt cold and dead though, and she was starting to wonder if they hadn't died already.

Time ceased to matter to her, and every second felt like hours to her. She just wanted it to end already. Take away the pain, then she could rest. At this point, death was almost a welcoming thing to her. Towering over her constantly, stretching its long fingers out to her, she only had to reach out and grasp that reality. What held her back though? Her stubbornness maybe? Her strong will to survive, to never give up, to kick and scream until her body was ripped apart? Was there a point to all this though?

When did day become night and night become day? When had she realized time was passing again? When did her body stop responding to her demands? When had she stopped caring?

Something within her seemed to go on though, amidst her wishes for everything to end.

Day did turn into night, and everything was beginning to come to a close. The ocean breeze blew across the sand, sending the tiny crystals across each other. The waves crashed upon one another as the surf stretched towards the beach, its white foam standing out in the darkness.

Asuka lay still as death inside the sleeping bag. Birds flew above her, landing here and there, curious about the strange shape on the beach. A turtle walked on the beach, oblivious to the ongoing troubles of the teenage girl, lying half dead in the sleeping bag.

* * *

><p>Death had reached out to her.<p>

An empty white room, devoid of anything greeted Asuka.

She was naked.

Death...had called out to her. Had she accepted, or was it simply time? Had her time run out?

She didn't move, she just stood in the whiteness. She couldn't think, she couldn't move, she couldn't speak. What was she waiting for?

Something was coming though, she could feel it. She wanted to move forward towards whatever it was. Her feet wouldn't listen to her, much as they had these past days.

Move she told them.

They didn't.

But the thing got closer...the darkness.

Darkness. Death. Despair.

She was afraid now; death was coming for her.

No, I'm not ready yet.

Whether she was ready or not, death would reach her; it always found its target.

Run! Run! RUN!

Her legs still didn't move.

The darkness grew closer. She could now feel the presence of whatever lay waiting for her in the darkness. A hand maybe? A ghastly face? Something...

Or was the darkness something else? Had everything been false? Was she still there? It was always dark there afterall.

Even more than death, she didn't want that. Her fears gave way.

Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes now. She told herself she wouldn't cry though, not ever again.

She held them back, afraid for what was to come.

I don't want this.

I want to continue living.

I'm not ready to die.

Why would death listen though? What reason did it have to care? It was only fulfilling its only design.

I don't care!

Neither does death.

Something cared though...

A pressure...something on the back of Asuka's shoulders suddenly grabbed her. Not forcefully, but carefully. Startled, Asuka tried turning her head to see what it was, but her head wouldn't move. It was warm though.

The pressure, the weight, was suddenly pulling her backwards. She was tilting downwards now; something was guiding her.

A hand? Somebody? Who?

The darkness rushed towards her now, determined to claim her. If Asuka could have, she would have screamed then, but something stopped her. Though very echoey, a voice filled her mind suddenly.

"Its alright, I've got you."

Asuka felt herself being pulled backwards now, and felt something wash over her, almost as though she had been pulled through a waterfall. The darkness grew murky then, but it seemed to have stopped, unable to pass through the waterfall as she had.

She was suddenly conscious of her body. Feeling was returning, as was her voice. She turned towards the feeling behind her, that was pulling her onwards. A shape...a human?

The whiteness was now disappearing, becoming a tiny dot in the distance. Neither darkness nor light surrounded her, she just existed in empty space along with whatever was pulling her.

Something behind her though was growing brighter. Light? Sunlight?

As she neared the light, everything started to grow clearer.

Until-

* * *

><p>Light was what she had seen, but it wasn't sunlight.<p>

Her eyes opened slowly and painfully. Her forehead still burned hot but something was cooling it now. She was on her back, this much she recognized. Everything was painful though, just moving her head took a lot of work.

What she had mistaken for sunlight was a roaring fire though and she was laying right next to it. She was wrapped in the sleeping bag which was now much warmer then she had last remembered it.

Her eyes roamed around the fire for several seconds, taking everything in.

She was alive was she not?

As if in response to her question, someone answered her.

"Finally awake..."

The voice was very hoarse and rough and Asuka barely recognized it. How many days had it been since she had heard that voice?

Shinji came into view, walking around the edge of the fire until he was standing several feet in front of her. He had dark shadows under his eyes and he looked much older than the last time she had seen him. Asuka wasn't sure how to respond.

Shinji looked her over once before he sighed with relief and sat down close to her.

Asuka had several questions floating around in her brain, but she was still too tired to ask any of them.

She was alive though, and that was enough for her right now.

Asuka stared into the fire for a long time, ignoring Shinji who sat almost directly next to her. She didn't care about this close proximity...not right now.

After several long moments though, Asuka felt something brush against her forehead and then the coolness was gone for a second. What replaced it was a warm hand.

"Still have a fever," mumbled Shinji quietly, more to himself than to her. Though Asuka didn't see him, she heard him stand up and walk behind her, his feet crunching as he walked across the sand. Asuka didn't have the energy to even complain about this.

After several minutes went by, Shinji came back and lay the piece of cloth against Asuka's forehead, newly soaked in the surf of Tokyo-3. Asuka felt some of the watery LCL fluid drip from the cloth and slide down her cheek. It was certainly cooler than before. Had he been doing this every hour?

Shinji went around to the other side of the fire then and grabbed something off the ground that happened to be a water bottle filled with the watery LCL fluid. Bringing it around to Asuka's side he unscrewed the cap and held it in his hands.

Asuka didn't need to be told what he wanted her to do, and she was thankful that he didn't ask. She opened her small mouth and Shinji tipped the water slowly into her mouth, giving her only a mouth full. It helped nonetheless.

He capped it and stood up, placing it on the other side of the fire. Walking back around the fire, he sat down beside Asuka and rested his head in his hands.

Asuka wanted to know what had happened, how it was that she was still alive, but she figured that could wait for another day. The only thing that she knew right now, was that she was glad Shinji was with her. This puzzled her slightly, but she ignored it, attributing it to the fact that he had saved her life.

They stayed like that for several minutes, both staring into the fire. Eventually, Shinji stood up and walked to the other side of the fire where he grabbed a water bottle and drank several drops from it.

Finishing he said, "You should sleep if you can. You were through a lot and..."

Shinji left his sentence dangling, the weariness in his voice apparent. Asuka wanted to tell him to sleep as well, but she had a feeling that he wouldn't. She had a feeling he hadn't gotten much sleep in several days

Instead, she nodded quietly, and curled back into the sleeping bag, almost like a cat. It was unbelievably warm now with the fire next to her and the sleeping bag covering her.

Asuka fell asleep peacefully, no longer assaulted by pain or nightmares. She dreamed peacefully that night forgetting everything that had happened the past few days.

Across from her, Shinji felt like a giant weight was lifted from his shoulders. Knowing that she was alive and well put his mind at ease. It had been close, but she was alright now.

Letting out a low sigh, he decided he could afford himself two hours of sleep before he had to wake back up and check on her.

Like this, the two of them bonded together. Though they had resented each other, they had been forced to work together in order to survive in this world.


	4. Connection

**Well its New Years Eve, so I got a double post for everybody to read whenever the hangover wears off. These two chapters are to make up for the fact that I didn't get much done between now and my last post (which was back in October). Hopefully we'll see another chapter sometime in January, but again, depends on what happens with my schedule. **

* * *

><p>The sun rose on the horizon over the bay of Tokyo-3, piercing Shinji's eyes open. Yesterday had been such a whirl of things happening that he could barely remember getting back. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and was feeling extremely tired now. Every bone in his body was aching, but at least the girl sleeping across the fire from him was sleeping peacefully.<p>

He wasn't sure how he was able to force his body awake every few hours to check on her, but he had someone managed it. Her fever had slowly left her body and she seemed to be feeling better now, but that was just what Shinji could tell from the outside at least.

He stood up now and stretched, walking over to the surf to refill his water bottle with the strange fluid. It had a bitter taste to it, but it did quench his thirst at least.

He tried remembering the journey he had taken to get here, but it was such a blur. He had forced himself onward with little sleep to the point that he was afraid he would almost have to start crawling, but his body seemed to bare with the strain. He was puzzled by this immensely, as in all likely hood, he should have probably died of exhaustion. Maybe it was his will that kept him moving forward, but he just wasn't sure.

Walking back to the makeshift camp, he placed more wood on the fire stacking it higher to keep himself and Asuka warm. It didn't seem like it would get too cold like it had two days ago, but he didn't want to take any chances.

Several hours passed by and he continued waiting for her, checking up on her every half hour or so. She was breathing easily now, whereas it had been strained before. He had been worried that she may have come down with pneumonia, but that didn't seem to be the case. At least that was one thing he didn't have to worry about right now. The only problem was she still probably couldn't move her legs, which meant that they where still stuck here for a little longer.

As Shinji was just starting to nod off however, Asuka finally started to stir. She slowly rose to a sitting position, struggling as her feet still refused to obey her commands. The sleeping bag slid off her body, revealing the plug suit clinging to her body and her hair started billowing in the calm sea breeze. The sleepiness left Shinji as he watched her slowly awake and Asuka turned her head to look at him.

They both looked at each other across the fire and it was Asuka who first spoke.

"What time is it?"

"A few hours before noon I think," replied Shinji evenly. He wasn't sure where there relationship was exactly, but didn't think she would try attacking him again. Not after last night.

Asuka was silent again for a few seconds before she asked, "When did you get back?"

"...I'm not sure," said Shinji slowly. "Sometime last night I know."

"I see," mumbled Asuka. She was remembering the vivid dream she had last night, wondering if it had been Shinji who she had seen.

"How are you feeling?" asked Shinji.

"Better I guess, my fever seems like it's gone...my legs still wont move though."

'As much as I figured,' thought Shinji.

Grabbing a nearby water bottle, Shinji walked around the side of the fire and handed it to Asuka. Asuka took it wordlessly, not wanting to admit how thirsty she was, and drank several mouthfuls. Wiping her mouth, she placed the water bottle beside her let out a sigh before looking up at Shinji.

"So, where did you go?"

Shinji couldn't help but notice the annoyance in her voice, but didn't want to start anything. Replying passively, he said-

"The valley behind Tokyo-3."

Asuka blinked several times, surprised at this answer. How far away was that exactly?

"Isn't that several miles away?"

"...It is," mumbled Shinji.

Asuka raised an eyebrow at him, surprised that he could still be standing after making that journey. What did he do, run all the way back here?

'Does it really matter though,' thought Asuka as her gaze dropped the the ground. 'If he hadn't come back, I'd be dead right now.'

That thought made her shiver slightly, so she wrapped the sleeping bag around her slightly and moved closer to the fire.

"And, was there anything worthwhile that you found while over there?"

"No," said Shinji quietly, as he sat down across the fire from her. "Nor, did I see anybody while I was walking to and from. Most likely, we're the only ones in a several mile radius."

"Or the entire world for that matter," said Asuka almost to herself.

Shinji was silent, wondering about the meaning behind Asuka's words. She was different, no use getting around that fact. She seemed to live in a different world then he did almost.

"Hey...Asuka?" mumbled Shinji after a few seconds pause. Asuka looked back at him slowly, apparently still getting used to hearing him use her name. She couldn't say she liked it, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

"What?" she replied bluntly.

Shinji hesitated under her glare.

"Who...Who are you exactly? I mean...we seem the same age, but..."

Shinji trailed off, unsure where he was going. It wasn't as if she was an alien of some sort, but he still felt awkward asking her about personal questions.

"Who am I?" said Asuka feeling puzzled suddenly. "Are you stupid? I already told you my name!"

"No...I didn't mean like that," replied Shinji hurriedly.

"Then what did you mean moron?"

Shinji was having a hard time not raising his voice in reply to her abusive talk, but he held himself back. Now was not the time to be bickering with each other.

"Well, for instance, the way you're dressed," said Shinji as he pointed at the plug suit she was wearing. "And also what you said before about the water being fit for drinking. How could you know something like that? The water even almost smells like blood."

Asuka glared back at him, not bothering to hide her displeasure about being asked these questions.

"Didn't I already tell you that everything would be better off if we didn't know anything about each other?"

"Yeah, well, things have changed a bit since then," replied Shinji, not backing down.

Asuka bit her lip. In truth, what Shinji said had merit to it, especially if they were expected to live like this for a while. Some things were better left unsaid however.

Relaxing somewhat, Asuka reached for the water bottle she had placed earlier beside her and drank several mouthfuls. The LCL fluid reminded of her past in Germany. How many days had she even been in Tokyo-3 before this had happened. It surely couldn't have been more than a week.

Placing the water bottle beside her again, she took several minutes until she was sitting in front of Shinji with the fire blazing between them before she started talking.

"Do you know what Second Impact is?"

"Er...wasn't that something that happened in Antarctica, and because of that much of the marine wildlife died off?"

Asuka didn't say anything for several seconds, gauging her words on how much she should tell him.

"Well, thats the gist of it somewhat. True, marine wildlife has died off except for aquariums and special laboratories that breed them. Second Impact though, is a whole different thing then what the government has led the public to believe. In reality, it was an experiment that went wrong...what the experiment was though, I'm not sure."

"Were you part of this experiment?"

"That was like sixteen year ago you moron! I wasn't even born yet!"

"Oh right...sorry," said Shinji hurriedly. He had never been great at history.

It took a while before Asuka was calm again, though when she was, she continued talking.

"Anyways, that experiment was part of one large project that was conducted by a company called Gehirn. I don't suppose you've ever heard of it, since its headquartered in Germany, which is where I'm from."

Shinji blinked several times, not guessing that she was a foreigner, Sure, they red hair was a little strange for someone of Japanese birth, but it wasn't unheard of.

"I didn't even notice," said Shinji to himself.

"Notice what?" asked Asuka quickly.

"No...just that, your Japanese seems flawless, so I didn't even consider the fact that you were foreign."

"Hmph, well I took several Japanese classes in college so its natural for me to be well versed in the language."

Asuka didn't bother to add that she hadn't mastered all the Kanji yet.

"So this company conducted this experiment which led to Second Impact?" asked Shinji.

"Yeah," nodded Asuka. "My involvement is rather minimal though up until two years ago."

"Why? What happened?"

There was a pause in Asuka's voice for several seconds here. Two years ago she had been approached by Nerv, now the successor to Gehirn and had learned that her mother had once worked for the company. Immediately she began doing tests of all sorts preparing her for becoming an Eva pilot. But telling all that to Shinji wasn't necessary.

"I was asked to come onboard the project because of my thesis I wrote on quantum mechanics and the way the human brain processes thought patterns. I was needed for research so I helped them run some tests. This," said Asuka as she tugged at the plug suit. "It measures human brain waves and thought patterns. I helped develop it."

Shinji was becoming more and more impressed with her, but a few things still hadn't been addressed yet.

"What is the orange colored fluid then?"

"That? Its called LCL fluid. The plug suit and LCL fluid work in conjunction with each other. They place the test subject in a cylinder and pump it full of LCL fluid while they wear the plug suit."

"Don't they drown?" asked Shinji.

"No...theres some compound in the LCL fluid which enables oxygen to pass through a humans body almost as though they were breathing. You can drink the stuff as well of course."

As Asuka finished talking, Shinji's head was filled with more questions still then answers. She was different, that much was certain. But everything almost seemed...to perfect.

"You mentioned Second Impact earlier," said Shinji. "Are we experiencing something like that right now?"

Asuka was rather surprised at this question, thinking that Shinji wasn't quite as dumb as he looked.

"Third Impact," said Asuka softly. "This is likely what has happened."

"Third Impact?" asked Shinji feeling confused.

"Its just something that could theoretically happen, though now that I see it for myself, it is rather shocking."

"What is it though?"

"I don't know," Asuka lied.

She knew what Third Impact was of course, but she wasn't about to tell Shinji the details. If Third Impact had actually happened though, why was she still alive? She could only summarize that something else must have happened instead.

"So, we are probably the only people in the city?" asked Shinji.

"Probably," shrugged Asuka. "I'd imagine there isn't anybody for several hundred miles though."

'As I thought.' sighed Shinji inside his mind.

They both lapsed into silence, both staring out at the ocean waves as they crashed unto the shore of Tokyo-3. Shinji was still thinking things over after what Asuka had told him. Second Impact was something only the history books told about, and that was very briefly glossed over, which now seemed to be purposefully done. Third Impact was an entirely other thing though. What could have caused it though? Another experiment? Was it something to do with nuclear warfare? Asuka was part of some company that seemed to research the human brain, so that might be part of it. Shinji however was pulled away from his train of thought as Asuka spoke.

"Well, I told you about myself, now its your turn."

"Huh?" said Shinji, not quite hearing her the first time.

"Tell my about yourself idiot!"

'You could have phrased that differently,' thought Shinji.

"Well, not much to say about myself. I've only been here in Tokyo-3 for a few weeks since this whole thing happened, and-"

"I'm already bored," sighed Asuka as she turned away from Shinji and made to lay down.

Shinji was left with his mouth open for several minutes looking at Asuka's back before he closed it slowly.

'She purposefully did that,' thought Shinji as he took a sip of water. Well, even if he didn't say anything about himself, he did at least learn a few things about Asuka.

* * *

><p>It was later in the day, and Shinji was returning from the city where he had been searching for more supplies. The market he had been visiting was slowly being deprived of its food, and Shinji was just starting to look for other places to scavenge. Surprisingly, during his search he found a car that seemed to be laden with supplies. The people who had once occupied the car seemed to be going on a camping trip. Whatever there intentions were, Shinji was just glad that they had packed enough canned food in the car to last several days. Among the food, he found a camping backpack, a pot and saucepan, and two packages of plastic forks. The only thing he wished he would have found was another sleeping bag, as sleeping on the beach was starting to take its toll on his back.<p>

Sliding down the slope, Shinji jogged the rest of the way towards the fire, the backpack shaking with each step. Whether this woke Asuka up, or if she was just resting, she heard it either way, and tilted her head upwards to look at Shinji.

"What the hell is that?" she asked the moment he placed the backpack beside the fire.

"A camping backpack," replied Shinji as he wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt.

"How does that help?" retorted Asuka.

'Shut up for a minute and I'll tell you,' thought Shinji as he started unloading stuff.

Asuka watched him silently as he removed the plastic forks, the pot and pan, and then the canned food. Upon seeing these last items, Asuka let out a derisive snort and said-

"Canned food?"

"Would you rather continue to eat candy bars and bags of chips?"

Asuka ignored him and said, "You can't eat this by just opening it. Whats more, do you even have a means of opening this?"

Shinji dug around inside the backpack and retrieved a can opener in reply to Asuka.

"Anything else you want to complain about?"

'Yeah, why am I stuck here with you,' thought Asuka.

She turned her head away from Shinji then, and curled back under the sleeping bag.

Shinji meanwhile starting going over the canned food he had found and organizing it. Each of them was well within the expiration date range, so he wasn't worried about that. He was going to make this last as long as possible though. The food itself was unusual for camping trips, since none of the normal was there, like ramen for instance, but Shinji thought that he could work with what he had.

Grabbing the pot, he walked over to the ocean of Tokyo-3 and filled it half full with the strange LCL fluid.

'Well, I can drink it,' thought Shinji, 'and even there is anything harmful in there, boiling it should get rid of it.'

Taking the pot back to the fire, he quickly ran into a problem. He didn't have a way to suspend the pot over the fire evenly. He himself could have dealt with the the food being on the slightly more crispy side, but he had a feeling Asuka wouldn't stand for it.

Deciding on his course, he grabbed several of the smaller pieces of fire wood, and dug them down into the sand on either side of the fire. Wishing more than anything that he had a knife right now. He quickly looked around the beach within the fires radius for a particularly pointed rock. After finding one, he returned to the fire and started gouging out the wood in the center of the sticks.

During this, Asuka turned around briefly and watched for a few seconds as Shinji struggled at making do with the jagged rock. Laughing internally at him for a moment, she turned back around and slept calmly.

Shinji didn't gave an indication that he noticed this, as he was too absorbed in his work. After almost forty-five minutes of this, Shinji had both the stick to where he roughly wanted them. Finding a rather long piece of wood, he tested its strength by pick of the pot by the handle with it before determining it worthy. Placing the stick atop the other two, the ends fell into the groves he had hollowed out by the rock. At first, he held onto both ends of the stick, afraid that it might suddenly snap, but it seemed to be able to hold the pot above the flames. Thankfully, the fire had died down since he had last stacked wood on it, so there wasn't any danger in the stick breaking from the fire.

With the water starting to boil, Shinji now looked towards the canned food. He wasn't a fan of canned rice, but it was either that or starve he supposed. Dumping the entire contents of the rice into the pot, he then grabbed the can of chicken broth beside him and opened it, slowly pouring some of it into the pot. He was more careful with this, as there was only one can, whereas he had several of the rice.

Placing the lid over the pot, he let it cook for fifteen minutes, before opening the lid and tasting it.

'Some salt and garlic wouldn't hurt,' thought Shinji, wishing that he had access to such ingredients.

Looking at the rest of the canned food, he was tempted to cook some corn to go with the rice, but not being able to cook it in the sauce pan was a problem. Well, maybe next time he could just toss everything together. If Asuka was going to be picky about even that, then she could cook her own food.

'Like that would happen,' thought Shinji.

Taking the pot off the fire, he let it cool for a few minutes before he decide it was time to wake Asuka up. Though it seemed there relationship had improved, he still wasn't keen on taking chances in case she was awake. Walking in a wide arc along where she lay, he came around to the other side where her face was turned.

"Huh...she is asleep," mumbled Shinji aloud.

Asuka was curled up under the sleep, her face just poking through. Most of her complexion had returned so she wasn't pasty white like when Shinji had found her near death. Shinji hadn't asked her about that, nor did he think he'd ever ask her, and he didn't think she'd tell him anyway. Her lips were pink from the cold as were her cheeks.

'She must not be able to deal with the cold as well as me,' thought Shinji briefly as he watched her sleep. Though next second, he berated himself, knowing that if she caught him watching her like this, it'd be the death of him.

Crouching down next to her, he placed his hand against her shoulder, and nudged her gently. At first, she didn't budge, but after several more times of nudging her, Asuka started to stir. Her eyes first opened slowly, and the first thing they saw were Shinji. Shinji saw this as well and was about to take a step back when Asuka closed her eyes again.

'What was that?' wondered Shinji.

He paused in place for several seconds, before he took a step towards her.

"Asuka?"

"What," she groaned back. "If you didn't wake me up for a good reason, I'm gonna kill you..."

'By what? Crawling after me?' thought Shinji.

"I made food," he said simply.

At this, she opened her eyes again, and though Shinji didn't want to admit it, she was rather cute as she did this.

"What did you make?"

"Some rice with chicken broth?"

"Thats it?"

"Were you expecting a five course meal?"

Asuka shut up after that, and slowly sat up, letting the sleeping bag fall from her body. She yawned with a hand covering her mouth, and stretched her arms up in the air. She must have been been feeling better, as she even tried standing up, which brought a grin to Shinji's face. But the grin dropped as Asuka shot him a death glare.

"So, where is it?"

"Right here," said Shinji as he held the pot out for her.

She looked at it for several seconds before she asked, "You didn't do anything to this did you?"

"Just eat it..." sighed Shinji, clearly getting annoyed with her constant complaining.

Asuka looked at him one final time before she raised the pot and fork to her lips and took a small bite of the rice. She chewed slowly, surprised at the flavor and tenderness of the rice.

"Well?" asked Shinji.

Asuka's head turned towards him, her hair wiping around in a mad flurry, and Shinji thought that she was about to complain until she said-

"Its not bad actually." She said this as though she had assumed it would have been inedible.

"You like it?"

"I wouldn't say I like it or dislike. It certainly needs a few things, and white rice with chicken broth isn't something I'd ever considered mixing before...but I guess it works."

Shinji was rather surprised at her tone as she said this, it was almost as though she was evaluating it as someone who knows how to cook would.

"You act as though you cook yourself."

"Oh, I do, though I haven't in a while. While I was in college, I mostly cooked for myself instead of eating the cafeteria food."

Asuka turned towards Shinji and saw that he was smiling slightly. Guessing what he was smiling about however, he quickly said-

"Well, I haven't cooked in a while though, so don't expect it to happen."

'I should have guessed,' thought Shinji as the smile slid from his face, but Asuka seemed to be in a better mood now.

After finishing her portion she passed the pot to Shinji, though she kept her fork. Shinji didn't need Asuka's explanation of what that meant.

After finishing his own portion, Shinji went to the sea and washed the pot clean, preparing it for tomorrows meal. Walking back, he placed the clean pot beside the rest of the canned goods and sat on his side of the fire.

'That could have been worse I suppose,' thought Shinji as he leaned backwards, looking up at the sky which had started turning crimson as the sun set.

Across the fire from him, Asuka had her face resting in her hands as she gazed into the fire. Eventually her gaze was brought upwards as she looked at Shinji leaning backwards and looking up at the sky. She frowned for several seconds, until Shinji's eyes darted away from the sky and turned back towards the fire. Though Asuka tried averting her eyes from him, Shinji still caught her.

"What?" he asked rather simply, not bothering to allude to the fact that he had caught her watching him.

Asuka took several seconds to reply though, not wanting to look him directly in the eye. She wasn't embarrassed, rather, she was just angry at herself for looking at him in the first place.

"What brought you to Tokyo-3?"

"What brought me to Tokyo-3?" repeated Shinji.

"Just answer the question," sighed Asuka as she turned her head back towards him.

"Well," started Shinji, "my father did I suppose..."

"You're father?" replied Asuka rather surprised.

Shinji hesitated here, not keen on the subject. Asuka however noticed this sudden reluctance to the question and assumed that it had to do with his father.

'Hmmm...so he doesn't like his father much?' thought Asuka.

"What does your father have to do with you being here?"

Shinji didn't answer for several minutes, and Asuka was almost ready to give up when he finally replied.

"I'm not sure what he wanted from me by being here. But he's shuffled me around from place to place ever since my mother died."

"You're mother is dead?" asked Asuka, perking up slightly.

"Yeah, she died when I was young, so I don't really remember her. Her name was Yui. Anyways, my father moved me around every few months so I never stayed in one place very long. School was never fun since I never got to know anybody very closely, and eventually I just started not caring since I'd be leaving eventually."

Shinji was rather surprised how easily he was able to talk about these things with Asuka, seeing as how he had never mentioned this to anybody before.

"About three weeks ago, my father had me move here, to Tokyo-3 and I roomed with a guy who was looking for a roommate."

"How long ago was that?" asked Asuka.

"Two and a half weeks maybe since I moved in."

"Is that taking into account the days since this all happened," said Asuka as she waved her hand towards the sea of Tokyo-3.

"I didn't even think of that," replied Shinji.

How many days had it been since he had even woken up on this beach? He wasn't even sure anymore.

"A week, maybe more," said Shinji.

Asuka thought about this for a moment. A week sounded about right.

"So three, maybe four weeks," she murmured as she bit her lip.

Shinji looked at her for several seconds before he asked, "How long have you been here Asuka?"

"Before this? A week I'd say," she said as she continued looking into the fire.

Asuka thought about the time difference. If Shinji had arrived here in Tokyo-3 four or three weeks ago, and she had arrived here two weeks ago, then whatever happened to cause this would surely have been taking affect during both there times here. But there was no alert of that, nothing to indicate anything had happened at the point. She could clearly remember visiting the facility and running the tests on Eva Unit 02. There was no indication that the Angels would have attacked this soon though. Whats more, where was she during all this? Why did it still feel like a large chunk of her memory was gone?

Asuka held her head in her hands as she thought this, but nothing about it made any sense.

"My father was about to send me to somebody else's place the day before this all happened I remember though," continued Shinji, unaware of Asuka's lapse in the conversation. "Though I don't remember who that person was."

'Would you shut up already,' thought Asuka as she held her hands over her face.

"After my mother died, my father seemed to become obsessed with his work though...I think thats why he sent me away, because he didn't have time for me. I don't know why he would have wanted me back though..."

Shinji sat like that for a while, trying to remember what his father had told him the day he was supposed to leave for Tokyo-3. Wasn't it something to do with work? Why couldn't he remember? His father was so focused on what he did at the company that he owned, that he never had time to spend with his Shinji. He had never received birthday presents or cake. Every Christmas was the same; he always just got a card and the occasional phone call, but nothing significant.

Shinji remembered again why he despised his father. For all the shuffling around he had to endure through the years, for never knowing what had happened to his mother. Sometimes he wondered if his mother hadn't died at the hands of his father...even if it was by accident.

Where was his father though if he was alive? Was he holed up in some bunker? That seemed the most likely place he would be if he was alive. Maybe other people had found similar shelter. Shinji had heard about bunkers being placed all over Tokyo-3, and even that the large skyscrapers were able to retract into the ground, and that some underground complex protected them-

'Nerv,' thought Shinji suddenly. 'Thats right...thats where my father worked...is the director for that matter...or was I suppose.'

Shinji stood up then, and stretched, looking up at the sky as he did so. It was slowly becoming darker now.

Turning his gaze to Asuka, he saw that she was still looking into the fire. He was wondering what she was thinking about, since she had spoken a word for several minutes now.

"Hey...Asu-"

"Shut Up! You're annoying." she replied abruptly.

Shinji was rather taken aback, but replied cooly, "If you wanted to be left alone, you could have just said so."

"I want you to shut the fuck up is what I want you to do," snarled Asuka as her gaze darted up to him.

"Fine," shrugged Shinji. He was too used to her behavior to give a damn about it anymore.

Figuring that now would be a good time to take a walk, Shinji grabbed one of the water bottles beside the fire and decided to walk up the beach a ways. He hadn't been up very far, as the city was always the more promising when it came to supplies. But since they had enough for several days, he could take it easy for a bit.

"I'll be back later," said Shinji as he started walking away from the fire.

Asuka didn't even give him a second glance.

* * *

><p>Shinji was away long after the sun had already set. He wasn't sure how long he walked for, but then again, he had a lot on his mind. He had forgotten about his father until Asuka had brought it up, and though he wasn't pleased about remembering such times, he couldn't deny the fact that he was curious to know whether his father was alive or dead. Either way though, he couldn't do anything about it in his current state.<p>

Finally getting back to the fire, he saw that it had steadily died down so only embers remained. In front of it, Asuka was still sitting with her head resting in her hands. Shinji couldn't help but laugh slightly since she hadn't moved an inch since he had left, but as he got closer, he noticed that she had fallen asleep. Pausing for a second, he eventually grabbed the sleeping bag beside her, and made to place it around her shoulders. Almost immediately, upon touching her shoulder with the edge of the blanket, Asuka's eyes opened, and her defenses kicked in. She immediately grabbed Shinji's wrist with her left hand and twisted it before pushing her full weight against his chest with her shoulder so that he tumbled backwards. She seemed to have become used to not moving her legs, because she spun around like a top and placed her right hand on his neck, poised to break it.

For one wild instance, Shinji thought that she had returned to the girl who he had first met on the beach who was ready to kill him, but Shinji saw the flicker in her eyes as she realized that it was him. Slowly, Asuka released her grip on his throat and then released her hand from his wrist. She seemed to be slowly gathering what was happening, though the anger still didn't leave her eyes.

Pushing himself upright, Shinji looked back at her for a second before he sighed and said, "Do you really think someone other than myself is here?"

Shinji didn't know the meaning of his words, but they certainly affected Asuka, who was reminded of ghosts from her past.

She spun around and ignored him, anger flaring up within her.

Shinji watched her for a moment longer before he stood up and walked around to his side of the fire while mumbling quietly, "Sorry would have been nice."

"I'm not sorry for anything," said Asuka without lowering her voice.

'At least you're still talking,' thought Shinji as he sat down.

Piling more wood on the fire, he built it higher until it had returned to its former blazing glory. Turning towards Asuka he asked, "So? Why were you so focused earlier that you fell asleep sitting up?"

Shinji wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Asuka's cheeks redden slightly at his words, though it may have just been from the heat of the fire.

Asuka debated whether to tell him or not, but didn't see any reason why she shouldn't.

"I was thinking about the time between when you arrived here in Tokyo-3 and when I arrived. It doesn't make sense. Whatever caused...this...Third Impact, must have been happening while we were in the city. I was never told of anything though, and even if it was predicted to happen, there would have been means for us to stop it."

"You act like Tokyo-3 was the epicenter of it all."

"I'm sure that most of the cities on earth like a lot like this as well, but I'm positive that Tokyo-3 was the epicenter."

"What makes you say that?"

"I have my reasons," said Asuka with an air of superiority. In truth, she couldn't be positive that Tokyo-3 was where it had happened, but judging how importantly a role the city played in the defense against the Angels, there couldn't be any other possibility.

"So...you're saying there must have been some indication to Third Impact in the days leading up to it?"

"Yeah, but judging by what you told me, and what I already know, nothing seemed different."

'She has a point,' thought Shinji. 'But nothing was out of the ordinary that I can remember. Nothing that struck me as odd.'

'That may not be necessarily true though,' said a voice deep inside him.

And that made Shinji remember why he himself was in Tokyo-3.

"Asuka, can I ask you something?"

"What!?" she snapped back at him, clearly thinking again.

"Have you ever heard about a company here in Tokyo-3 called Nerv?"

Asuka heard the word, or thought she did, but at first thought that Shinji had mumbled something else.

"What did you say?"

"Nerv. A company called Nerv here in Tokyo-3."

"How do you know about that?"

Shinji wasn't so much surprised by the question as he was surprised at Asuka's tone. Her voice had gone stoney and a dark shadow had passed under her eyes.

"How do you know about Nerv?" she asked again.

"My father asked me to come here. He works at the company."

Asuka frowned heavily at Shinji, but the shadow seemed to have gone from her eyes.

"Is there a problem?" asked Shinji hesitantly.

Asuka just stared at Shinji for a long while until she asked, "What is your fathers name?"

"His name? Its Gendo, Gendo Ikari."

Shinji didn't have trouble at all spotting the obviously surprised look that appeared on Asuka's face. Her eyes widened slightly and even her lips parted to form a small gasp.

"Er...Asuka...do you know-"

But he was cut off as Asuka darted around the fire surprisingly fast, even with her legs as unstable as they were, and sat directly in front of Shinji, grabbing at his shoulders fiercely.

"You're the son of Gendo Ikari?" she nearly shouted.

"Is there something wrong with that?" asked Shinji, only too aware of how close their faces were, and that he could feel Asuka's breath on him.

Asuka relented slightly there, maybe realizing as well how close they were, because she let go of his shoulders and leaned back slightly.

"Theres nothing wrong with it," she said, "I was just surprised is all. Your father is the director after all."

"Is it that big a deal?"

"You don't even know what Nerv does, do you?"

"Not a clue."

Asuka sighed, clearly not in the mood for a full run-through of the purpose of Nerv.

"I'm not saying anything right now, because it would take too long to tell you...but I should I suppose correct what I said earlier and now say that I work for Nerv...or did I guess."

"So...everything was a lie from before?"

"The thing about my thesis paper? That was all fake. Gehirn though was the predecessor to Nerv, and though I was too young at the time, I heard about it from other people. You're father and some other staff members were in charge at Gehirn, and when that became Nerv, your father took over. My own mother worked at Gehirn for a time."

As Asuka said this last part, her voice got quieter, though Shinji didn't really notice this.

"So did Nerv have anything to do with Third Impact."

Asuka hesitated for a second. Shinji already knew about Nerv, and since he was the son of the director, there didn't seem to be any point in not telling him. Not to mention the director had seemed to want him in the city for some reason.

'Its possible that he was even supposed to be the Third Child,' thought Asuka suddenly. She had heard that the Third was scheduled to arrive just before she did, but if he was supposed to be the Third Child...

Asuka glanced at Shinji for a brief instance before she shook her head and thought, 'No way someone this weak could pilot an Eva.'

"Partially yes, partially no," replied Asuka to Shinji's earlier question. "They weren't the ones that instrumented it, but they hold some fault I suppose."

"Why?"

"Entirely honest...I'm not sure. I just know what I've been told."

Shinji waited for more, but Asuka seemed to be done.

"Thats enough for one night though," said Asuka as she started moving back towards her side. Shinji watched her slide herself across the sand for several seconds before he stood up, and wondering what he was doing, walked over to her and held his hand out for her. She looked at it for several seconds, puzzled over what he was implying.

"You're legs aren't going to get better if you don't put some pressure on them," said Shinji rather awkwardly.

"And I'm supposed to trust your judgement?" asked Asuka, though he did have a point she supposed.

So, rather against her wishes, Asuka held out her hand and grasped Shinji's own. He pulled her upward gently, steading her body as he brought it upward, carefully watching her face. She did wince a few times as her legs straightened themselves, and Shinji thought several times that she might collapse from not having used her legs for so long, but she seemed to be tougher than he thought. She even reluctantly placed her left arm upon his shoulders so that she had something to brace against.

Asuka didn't bother to look Shinji as she said, "This sucks."

"Look who's complaining," replied Shinji.

"You offered!" yelled Asuka almost directly in Shinji's ear.

Shinji ignored her words and started walking over to her side of the fire, though Asuka seemed to have stopped mid step.

"What are you doing?" asked Shinji, but he was surprised to see that Asuka was looking up at the sky, and the stars that adorned it.

"Its strange to see the stars like this," mumbled Asuka, quite unlike herself. "Without the lights from the city, you would have never guessed they were here."

"...I suppose..." said Shinji glancing sideways at Asuka. She was smiling slightly as she looked up at the sky, but as she glanced back down and saw him looking at her, her smile immediately changed to that of a frown.

"What?" she asked bluntly.

"...I think thats the first time I've seen you smile," said Shinji with a smirk.

"Between my leg, this shitty food, not having showered for a week, and waking up with sand in my hair every morning, I don't have much to smile about."

"...I was just surprised to see you smile...it was refreshing I guess."

Asuka looked passively back at Shinji as he said this, and he didn't need her to tell him that she was angry.

"If my legs only worked," he thought he heard her mumble.

Walking around to her side of the fire, Shinji slowly sat down alongside Asuka and let her gain her balance. Of course, not once did she say thanks for the assistance.

Standing back up, he walked back around his side and sat down, before laying down in the cool sand.

"Hey Asuka?" he asked quietly.

Her back was turned away from him as she had already pulled the sleeping bag over her body, so at first he thought she didn't hear him, but eventually she replied.

"What Shinji?"

Shinji was rather surprised that she had used his name, as he didn't think she had spoken it once since they had introduced each other.

"Um...is it possible that people from Nerv are still alive? I mean...if they knew this could possibly happen could they have taken steps to build shelters?"

Asuka didn't honestly think so. If avoiding Third Impact was so easy, then everyone would have built shelters. Of course, that doesn't really begin to explain how her and Shinji were alive.

"Maybe, I'm not sure," she replied offhandedly.

Shinji didn't reply, too absorbed in his own thoughts.

Rolling over on his back, he faced away from Asuka and tried to go to sleep, thoughts of Nerv and his father whirling around in his mind. Across the fire from him, thoughts of her mother filled Asuka, as did her wonderings about Shinji being the Third Child.


	5. Progression

**Refer to previous chapter for stuff I talk about. Although, on another note, anybody see Evangelion 3.0 yet? I know it comes out in the states on the 11 of January (if you can believe IMDB) but anyone see it in Japan?**

* * *

><p>Asuka and Shinji seemed to be on friendlier terms the next day as they both spoke that morning, though Shinji did most of the talking. Asuka had even started using Shinji's name to the point that it became natural. Though in what context she used it was an entirely different matter.<p>

Shinji cooked breakfast with what he had found the previous day, and Asuka didn't seem to have any complaints about it. They had more rice and a small portion of canned corn each. As they both finished, Shinji went to wash the pot and dishes in the ocean, while Asuka lay back down bored. Now that she was awake and had food in her stomach, she was feeling incredibly restless. She even rather wished she had something to read, just to alleviate the boredom.

As Shinji returned, wiping the silver on his shirt as he went, Asuka turned to him and said-

"So? What were you going to do today?"

Shrugging, Shinji replied, "I don't know. As far as supplies go, we have enough for several days so I won't need to go into the city for a while, not for anything important anyways. Why?"

Asuka stared at him for a few seconds before she turned away from him and said, "No particular reason really."

"Well, I was hoping that we could continue our conversation from yesterday...if possible," said Shinji.

While Asuka didn't have any problem with this, she didn't want to have to worry about something right now. She had spent a good deal of time thinking about this last night and this morning, but she still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Shinji could have been the Third Child. Everything seemed to fit into place it certainly seemed, but she just couldn't imagine this scrawny kid piloting an Evangelion.

"We can talk about that later, I'd rather not have to worry about anything right now."

As Shinji looked at Asuka's back, he sighed and said, "Okay...well, if you're going to go back to sleep, I suppose I'll go walk the beach for a while."

'Who said I was going back to sleep?' grumbled Asuka in her mind. Though as Shinji started to walk in the opposite direction, Asuka thought of something.

"Hey Shinji!"

Shinji paused and turned around, surprised by the tone in Asuka's voice. He hadn't quite gotten used to her calling him by his name since she had never used it before.

"What?" he asked rather nervously. He thought she was angry at him for a second.

Asuka opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The thought had struck her suddenly as she had been lying there, and after last night, it made sense when she thought about. Even so though, asking for Shinji's help was an entirely different thing.

"Wh-Why are you going out walking?" asked Asuka, determined to at least say something.

"Is there something wrong with that?" replied Shinji.

"I thought you said you didn't have any reason to today."

"I said I don't have a reason to go into the city, and besides, I like walking. I did do that a lot when I first came to Tokyo-3 before all this happened."

Asuka bit her lip; was it so hard to just ask?

Shinji watched her for a few seconds longer and when she didn't seem to be saying anything else, he started walking again. But Asuka wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Hold on a minute! I wasn't done!"

Shinji was almost tempted to ignore her before he turned around again and stared right at her, the fire crackling in between them.

"Instead of wasting your time walking, I need your help with something."

The words weren't exactly as Asuka had intended them to be, but she hoped Shinji understood what she meant. Just asking for help from him was taking all of Asuka's willpower. How long had it been since she had asked for help? She couldn't very well ignore the circumstances they were in and was once again reminded that if not for him, she would be dead.

Shinji did understand what she meant, but thought it could have been phrased differently. Even so, he thought it somewhat funny that it had taken her that long to ask for his help.

"Okay, what is it?" asked Shinji as he started taking a step back towards her.

"Walking," said Asuka simply.

This made Shinji pause ever so slightly as he continued towards her.

"And if possible, making a set of crutches."

'How long does she expect this to last?' wondered Shinji.

As Shinji reached the fire again, he crouched down and picked up a bottle of the LCL fluid and downed several mouthfuls. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve he said-

"I can help you start walking again easy enough, but I've no idea how crutches are supposed to work."

"Well luckily I do," said Asuka with a hint of her superiority. Shinji would have dearly liked to egg her on, but decided not to since Asuka seemed serious about this.

"We can worry about the crutches later I suppose, walking though..." Shinji paused for a minute before he resumed talking. "How do your legs feel?"

"Same as usual," said Asuka a she ran her hands down her legs. "Same as always," mumbled Asuka, this time with a little bit of sadness in her voice. Whether she had intended this, or if her guard had simply cracked a bit, Shinji couldn't say he enjoyed seeing Asuka saddened like this. Her unmovable legs had become such an normal thing that he had forgotten how much of an inconvenience it must be for her. Not to mention she seemed to be the kind of person who preferred doing things themselves.

"I'm honestly not sure how much help it'll be," said Shinji eventually, "but if you need help walking, I can do that much."

"Yeah," replied Asuka rather offhandedly, not quite meeting Shinji's eyes.

Walking around to her side of the fire, Shinji bent down next to Asuka, letting her put an arm around his back and resting it on his shoulder. They both seemed to be aware of how close they were, but neither said anything about it. If they were going to be living together like this for a while, stuff like this was only assumed.

Shinji slowly stood up as Asuka seemed to gather more strength, only moving as fast as she did, His body was more or less something that she could hold her weight against as she pushed herself upwards. Shinji didn't know whether Asuka was in any pain or not, but knew that even if she was, she wouldn't cry in pain, let him know, or even let it show on her face. She was just that stubborn. This brought a smile to his face, which Asuka did notice, considering how close there faces were.

"What?" she asked rather snappishly, thinking that he was amused at how much difficulty she was having.

"No, nothing," replied Shinji hurriedly.

"Instead of grinning like an idiot then, how about you help me?" complained Asuka, her anger starting to flare.

'Or I could just dump you on your ass,' thought Shinji for a brief moment, but he wasn't about to do such a spiteful thing.

Shinji brought his own hand up then and braced it against her back, being sure that she wouldn't fall over. As usual, he was amazed at how cool and smooth the fabric felt as he touched her odd clothes.

"Okay," mumbled Asuka as she took several short pauses before she forced herself upward, standing on both her legs. They still didn't seem to want to listen to her, because she would have gone crashing back to the ground if not for Shinji's hand on her back. Shinji didn't say a word of this, because he could tell that Asuka was seething from seeming so helpless. He had quickly learned when to speak his mind and when to keep quiet.

'Right, I can do this,' thought Asuka as she stood haphazardly upright. Was this what a newborn felt as they learned to walk? Asuka couldn't imagine it being very different.

Feeling incredibly stupid, she declared to Shinji, "I'm going to try walking forward."

'Don't push yourself,' was at the forefront of Shinji's mind, but he held his tongue and instead replied, "Alright..."

Just lifting her leg seemed to take great amounts of effort and strain and Asuka was beginning to wonder if the nerves in her legs were no longer receiving pulses from the brain. Eventually though, she did manage to take one step forward. What she didn't want to admit was that without Shinji, she wouldn't have even made it a quarter this far.

Her legs were starting to catch fire it seems as her muscles screamed out at her. Pain wasn't anything new to her by any means, but even so, it still hurt. And after the pain she had felt while Shinji and herself had parted briefly, well, she didn't want to experience anything like that ever again. Knowing that her muscles wouldn't be able to take the strain much longer, she relented and said to Shinji-

"I think thats as much as I can do right now."

Shinji was rather surprised that she had accomplished even that much, but he had to put his mind into things elsewhere as Asuka seemed to collapse in his arms as the energy left her body. He was now holding her entirely up by his own body, though it wasn't as though she was very heavy to begin with. Gently lowering her back to the sleeping bag, Asuka didn't say a word of thanks as she was either too tired, or too embarrassed by what had transpired. Shinji couldn't tell which though.

After doing this, he retreated to his own side of the fire and sat down, all thoughts of going on his own walk gone. It wasn't as though he was tired, but after seeing Asuka put in the effort of moving her legs, he couldn't very well go off and leave her, at least, this is what he thought.

They both lapsed into a long silence and Asuka seemed to go to sleep, exhausted after what had happened, leaving Shinji to fumble with his own thoughts.

* * *

><p>Later in the evening, Asuka woke again, feeling well rested and more importantly hungry; it seemed that her temper had returned as well. Shinji hurriedly made dinner consisting of much the same as they had had the previous night. Asuka seemed to realize that complaining wasn't going to do her any good, so she barely opened her mouth to speak during dinner.<p>

After Shinji had finished cleaning up though, he was hoping that she would now be in a mood to talk.

"Hey Asuka?" asked Shinji as he returned from the ocean.

"What?" she replied without looking at him. She was laying down on her back and looking up at the sky blankly. Evening was starting to turn into night.

"Can we continue from yesterday?"

"Continue what?" asked Asuka with a slight sneer in her voice.

'How was it that she was able to flip personalities so easily?' wondered Shinji.

"Yesterday, when we were talking about Third Impact and Nerv and everything," said Shinji feeling sorta stupid. He still didn't know much about either of these things, but he was hoping that Asuka was going to tell him more.

"Hmph," grumbled Asuka as she closed her eyes and opened them in annoyance, though she couldn't really ignore this either; she had some questions for Shinji herself.

"Fine then," said Asuka as she sat up, wrapping the sleeping bag around her body as she did so and scooted closer to the fire. "But first I want to ask you something myself."

Shinji was rather surprised at this, but he nodded his head all the same and said, "Okay, what?"

"Tell me what Nerv does."

Shinji thought he misheard her.

"Huh?" he gaped. "How can I tell you when I don't even know myself?"

"Your own father is the director of Nerv. Certainly you must have some idea of what he does," said Asuka almost bored.

"I told you, he never mentioned anything about his work at any point in time to me."

"Fine then. In your own words, tell me what Nerv does."

'That was almost just as hard,' thought Shinji.

"Well...if I had to guess, it would have something to do with Tokyo-3 I suppose. And you said before that Nerv might have had a hand in what happened here so...human experiments...of some kind, I guess?"

Asuka watched him for several seconds, the fire flickering in her ocean blue eyes before she shrugged and said, "Well, its not like I expected anything better from someone who doesn't know anything."

'So then tell me already damn it,' thought Shinji angrily. But he waited patiently nonetheless.

Asuka still seemed to be gauging him though, trying to decide whether he could have been the Third Child or not. The possibility was slim certainly...but...

"You said before that when your father had you come here to Tokyo-3, he didn't say a word about what he wanted you here for?"

"Nothing," replied Shinji with a nod.

Asuka bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to believe what her mind was starting to shift towards.

'Well, whether it mattered then, it doesn't matter anymore,' Asuka told herself. 'So mentioning it now is entirely pointless probably.'

Probably, but not necessarily.

Asuka ignored this other part of her mind telling her otherwise.

After Asuka finished asking Shinji her questions, she dived in telling him everything about Nerv. The angels, the Evangelion, the children selected for the process, herself, Rei, the individual responsibilities of the personal, the reason only children born after Second Impact could pilot the Evangelions. She covered everything that she had been taught in Germany. She even told him about the function of the LCL fluid and the feel of being in the entry plug. It was enough to make Shinji's head swim.

As Asuka finished explaining everything, she let out a low sigh and took several large mouthfuls of water. As she did so, Shinji remembered that they had been drinking that stuff this entire time. He suddenly felt like retching.

As Asuka set her bottle down she raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, believe me or not?"

"I'm not sure," mumbled Shinji, his head still a jumble of everything. If she was lying again, then it was the the worst lie in the world. But Shinji didn't think it could have been anything but the truth.

"Why would I lie about something like this? What would I have to gain?"

"Nothing I guess," said Shinji, "But...even so, its rather far fetched."

"Believe it or don't, it doesn't really make any difference now though."

"Doesn't it? I would have figured that these angels probably caused Third Impact."

Asuka had forgotten about that, and it showed on her face. Guess Shinji wasn't as stupid as she was being led to believe.

"Yes, that is probably the truth of it," sighed Asuka. "But there isn't anyway to know if that is what actually happened."

"But they could come back," said Shinji, suddenly feeling very worried. "If everybody is gone because of these angel things, maybe they would come back for us."

'Tail right between his legs,' thought Asuka with a slight grin.

"Worrying about it isn't going to do us any good though," shrugged Asuka.

Shinji seemed that he would like to argue back, but Asuka was starting to glare at him, so he was forced to shut his mouth. Still, something wasn't making sense to him. Asuka was supposed to fight these angel things in something called an Evangelion that was similar to a giant robot. If the angels had attacked Tokyo-3 and Nerv, then why was she here? Had she been unable to stop there attack, or had she never been deployed to attack in the first place? The plug suit that she wore was evidence enough that she had been preparing for something she had told him, but other than that, she didn't know anything else. Course it was the same with him. A part of his memory seemed to have been scooped out of him.

"Asu-"

"Now what?" she groaned as she turned back towards him. After she had finished talking, she had laid down and turned away from him.

"Is it possible that my dad wanted me to do something at Nerv...thats why he asked me to come to Tokyo-3. You said before that only a child born after Second Impact could pilot an Evangelion. Could I have done that?"

Asuka's first inclination was to scream 'no' at him and then laugh at him for even suggesting such a ludicrous thing, but everything seemed to point in the opposite direction.

Without turning back to look at him, she mumbled, "I think so. Maybe that was what your father wanted you here for, but maybe not. Without anything more solid than that, I can't really say."

Shinji didn't reply to that, wondering if that was what she really thought. Asuka didn't seem to be in any mood to talk anymore though, because she had passed into a deep sleep, sighing softly.

Shinji was still thinking about the Evangelions as Asuka had told him about them, and wondering what it would have been like to pilot them. Asuka hadn't elaborated on what it was like, only describing them in brief detail as was needed, but Shinji had an idea that it wasn't easy.

Things were still bothering him though, and it wasn't so much about the gap in his memory, or the fact that he could have been an Evangelion pilot like Asuka. No, it just seemed that everything was too perfect. Before, he thought that Asuka and himself met each other by happenstance, but after the past two days, he wasn't so sure. Both of them were eerily similar in ways that Shinji couldn't explain, and then there was the connection that they had with Nerv. If it wasn't happenstance, and they had been thrown together like this on purpose.

Why though? That was the question...

But Shinji didn't have an answer to that, nor did he think he'd acquire that answer anytime in the future.

* * *

><p>The days passed more slowly then it seemed. But everyday, Shinji helped Asuka steadily move forward more. It seemed she was adamant on doing this, and even after falling one time in which Shinji hadn't managed to catch her, she didn't seem put off in the last, but simply asked for him to help her back up. She was regaining her strength quickly, much to Shinji's astonishment, but Asuka didn't seem to be surprised in the least. She had always been athletic, so something of this nature was only natural for her. They had even decided to give up on the idea of making crutches. Each day she got farther and farther in her steps, and it seemed that her eventual goal seemed to be the ocean. It got to the point that Shinji didn't have to worry about her falling as much, and Asuka seemed to be glad that he let her walk on her own now, though he was still keeping a careful eye on her just in case she rebounded. She wasn't sure whether to be thankful or annoyed, though she still hadn't said her thanks yet, so Shinji usually got the annoyed part.<p>

On the last day, during which she finally made it to the ocean, she had told Shinji that she wanted to do this entirely on her own, and that if he helped her, she would hit him. Asuka's verbal abuse seemed to have grown to physical now as well, because she didn't seem to mind hitting him if he annoyed her. Though the only time she ever did was during these walks since this was the only time they were particularly close to each other. Shinji thought he caught her smiling sometimes when she hit him though, and he didn't seem to mind that much as well. Her blows stung at first, but quickly subsided. He had never really noticed how small her hands were until then.

Though she still moved slow, and running seemed to be outside her possibilities right now, she didn't have any problems walking right now. Shinji had been wondering why Asuka's legs hadn't been working for a while, but she explained it simply, saying that if they weren't used, they would atrophy. Shinji didn't think it was just this reason, but he let it slide for now.

After what seemed to take an entire hour, Asuka finally made it to the surf of Tokyo-3 and sat down, letting the surf wash over her feet.

'She seems to be enjoying herself,' thought Shinji as he walked up behind her and stood there, looking out across the ocean. This was the only time that they really talked much. Asuka told him what it was like to work at Nerv, and what the people were like there. Shinji had asked her what his father was like, but to that Asuka couldn't answer that. She had only met the commander a handful of times afterall. Shinji on the other hand told Asuka about the places he'd been to, all the different school he'd gone to, and the many roommates he'd had. Though she seemed bored most of the time, he suspected she liked hearing something at least while she walked.

"I didn't think I'd be returning to this spot like this," said Asuka in quite voice after a few seconds.

"Hmm?" asked Shinji confused.

Asuka was silent again, seeming unable to speak what was on her mind.

"When you left before, I crawled over here to get water, knowing I wouldn't last long without it. I don't even know how long ago that was now."

"More than a week," said Shinji. It was starting to become difficult to tell the days apart. He had no idea what month it even was anymore.

"It seems longer," sighed Asuka as she wrapped her arms around her legs as she sat there. Shinji decided to sit down beside her then, there arms brushing against each other as he did. Asuka no longer flinched at the contact like she used to.

"How much longer are we going to be here?" wondered Asuka.

"On this beach?" asked Shinji.

"No, Tokyo-3," snapped Asuka, her patience wearing thin. Shinji wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or not though.

"I don't know...why?"

"I'm sick of it here," she grumbled.

Shinji supposed he was as well now that she mentioned it. But where would they go instead?

There previous supplies had dwindled several days ago. Asuka seemed to be eating twice as much than before she started walking, and though Shinji wasn't about to point this out to her, he knew it would be a problem. So after helping her along one afternoon, he spent much of the evening looking for more supplies, and he had come back rather successful. He had spent so much time sleeping restlessly on the sand that he had forgotten what it had been like to be warm, but that was before he found the second sleeping bag.

He had luckily found another department store and spent a good deal of time going through the place. The building was largely intact with only small sections of the roof having crumbled away, but it was nothing terrible. Shinji had found a proper spit for which to cook on now as well along with a cutting knife. He hadn't used the knife yet, but he had wished he had had it several days before. He had stocked up on more canned food at the store as well, packing everything he could find in the camping backpack.

The first day back from this he had enjoyed his time cooking dinner now that he had more to work with. Even Asuka was pleasantly surprised by the dinner, and even ventured to ask Shinji why he knew so much about cooking, though his explanation might have been a little long for her tastes.

The prospect of leaving the beach though, Shinji thought while sitting next to Asuka wasn't something that he had really considered. Certainly it was a possibility now that Asuka seemed to be able to walk, if rather slowly. But where would they go exactly? Leaving Tokyo-3 was assumed, but other than that he didn't really have an idea.

And Shinji didn't think that either of them were quite prepared for that journey. He looked sideways at Asuka then, watching her silently as the ocean wind calmly blew her hair out behind her. He preferred things like this if he had to be honest.

"Well, I think I've had enough of the cold," said Asuka as she made to get up. Standing up seemed to be the most difficult part for Asuka, as her legs seemed to lose there strength if she kept them idle for too long, but once she was moving she was usually okay.

Shinji stood up alongside her, which was probably a good thing as Asuka lost her balance slightly, and Shinji had to prevent her from falling. Still no word of thanks though escaped her lips.

They walked back in silence, seeming to go faster then when they had walked out to the ocean. The fire was steadily roaring as they got back, and Shinji piled more dry wood on it. He was starting to have to walk much farther if he wanted wood that was usable.

Asuka predictably sat down and buried herself under the sleeping, shivering slightly from the cold while Shinji started working on dinner. He was just wondering what he should make when Asuka spoke to him.

"Hey Shinji."

"Huh?" he replied as he looked at the can of spam he held. He couldn't say he was a fan of the stuff, he had some seasoning which would help mask the taste.

"That place you found the food and sleeping bag at..."

"What about it?"

"Did it have clothes as well?"

Shinji had to think about this for a minute. Clothes were far from his mind if he was honest, even though the ones he was wearing couldn't have been in the best shape. But he did think he remembered seeing a section for them.

"Yeah I think there was," he replied.

"Could you go back there tomorrow and get me a few things?"

"I guess..." he said rather offhandedly. Why did she suddenly want clothes?

"Good, because this beach isn't the only thing I'm sick of."

It took a few seconds for it to click in Shinji's mind.

"...That plug suit thing," he hesitated.

"Now that I can walk okay I'd prefer to not be wearing this thing either. It prevents cold from seeping in well enough, but sleeping in it isn't very fun."

"I see," said Shinji after a few seconds.

Across the fire, Asuka was watching him with a blank stare on her face, though this stare quickly turned in a grin.

"What's wrong, don't feel comfortable picking out clothes for a girl?"

"Thats not it," said Shinji at once, leaving little doubt that that was the case.

Asuka almost laughed at his childish embarrassment.

"Trust me, if I could walk there myself, I would, and not have to send you instead. Judging from what you're wearing, fashion isn't something you've ever heard of. I've never seen a more boring choice of clothes."

"What do you want there?" asked Shinji, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"Shirt, pants, sweatshirt, socks, and shoes. Nothing else." Asuka was was very adamant about this last part.

"Fine, I'll get them," said Shinji grumbling slightly.

"Isn't dinner ready yet?"

"You could help for a change."

"Why? Its more fun watching," smirked Asuka.

'Just because she can walk, she's acting all superior now,' thought Shinji as he threw several ingredients into the pot. He had eventually settled on a stew, as there wasn't anything else he could really make with the spam.

After another thirty minutes of cooking, the stew was done. They still had to eat out of the pot, as Shinji hadn't picked up any bowls, which reminded him he should look for dishes tomorrow when he returned to the store.

They both finished up dinner and Shinji rinsed the pot and the forks that he had gotten before. Asuka was just complaining that she could use a shower when Shinji returned from the ocean and simply pointed towards it. Asuka glared at him but didn't say anything before she buried herself back under the sleeping bag. A shower would be good, but hot water was a bit of a commodity.

Shinji lay down in his own sleeping bag, using his own arm as a pillow. He wasn't sure, and couldn't really explain it, but he felt like things would be changing slowly now. Rolling over onto his side, he closed his and went to sleep, dreading what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

><p>Shinji had now spent so much time scrounging through cars and buildings that he was tempted to draw a map, but at the same time he seemed to have one in the back of his head. The department store was a good ways away from the beach, so certainly taking Asuka here so she could look at the clothes herself was out of the question, but he wished she would have given him a better idea of what she wanted. He didn't think that anything he'd chose she would really like to begin with.<p>

The store in question was off a highway it seemed, and was fairly well known, but Shinji didn't know the name of it. The sign out front had been crushed to fine dust it seemed. The parking lot was mildly large with many cars parked within the lot. These Shinji had gone through as well as he had first passed through. He had learned that it was best to check every possible place for anything useful, even if it was unlikely he'd find anything.

The store itself was pure white except for a thin blue strip that ran along the exterior of the building around the middle. The place had automated doors, but of course the power had been out. The exit door had been open though the first time Shinji had entered it, which made him wonder if somebody hadn't been leaving when...well when the disappeared. This was then only thing that made sense to him, even if everybody disappearing at once was unbelievable. But then again, so was everything that Asuka had told him.

As he stepped into the department store he rubbed his arms as they were starting to chill. It was still earlier in the morning as Shinji had only left after he had made breakfast. Asuka was still sleeping before he had left, but he hoped she wouldn't be disgruntled by the cold oatmeal.

He walked up and down the isles, passing the spot where he had gotten the sleeping bag and canned food. Eventually, he spied the clothing section at the back of the store and right beside it, the shoe section.

There wasn't much, as Shinji had suspected, but he walked up and down the isles looking at everything first. He was outside his element here, simple to say, and didn't have a clue what Asuka might actually like. He didn't relish the idea of being sent back only because she didn't like something he had chosen. Even so though, the store didn't have much in the way of clothes that he suspected she would like; the majority of the stuff was plain solid colors.

While he was here though he decided that he may as well grab something for himself. This had nothing to do with what Asuka had told him yesterday he told himself. Finding a sweatshirt was at the forefront of his mind, and he did manage to find one. It was a little large for himself as he tried it on, but he couldn't really complain. He set this off to the side then as he looked through the rest of things.

Asuka had also asked for shoes, and since she hadn't told Shinji her shoe size, he had to guess this for the most part. He did decide to base it off his own size though, guessing that their feet couldn't be too different at their ages. He finally managed to settle on a pair of white running shoes. If she was going to continue this walking thing, then having running shoes would be best. He grabbed a package of socks as well that came with several, thinking that they could at least share these. His own socks where getting too worn out and each of them already had several holes.

Turning back to the clothes, he decided to just go with simplicity. He grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans that he hoped would fit her. Asuka was very slim from what he could tell, so they should fit. For a shirt, he grabbed a white t-shirt that had red stripes at the sleeves. Shinji rather guessed Asuka liked red; her current attire suggested it at least. And as for the sweatshirt, well, Shinji briefly thought about getting her the same white one he had grabbed himself, but he didn't think she'd like that. Eventually, he managed to find one that was solid red. It was close to the same size as his own, so it would probably be overlarge for her, but he supposed it could double as a pillow.

Putting on the sweatshirt that he had chosen for himself, he slung the clothes over his shoulder and held the shoes with his hand. It felt weird to be walking out of the store with a bunch of clothes slung over his shoulder. The food and sleeping bag had been one thing, but not paying for all this stuff felt weird.

Walking back wasn't too difficult, and in what felt like a short time, Shinji was jogging down the hill that led to there makeshift camp.

Asuka was sitting up and eating the oatmeal that Shinji had left her and judging by her facial expressions, she wasn't enjoying the stone cold taste. This almost made Shinji laugh.

"Where did you go?" asked Asuka the minute Shinji walk up to her.

"To get your clothes," said Shinji. He had forgotten how much he hated the idea when she had first asked him to do this, but in truth, it hadn't been that bad.

"Oh," mumbled Asuka as she looked at the clothes he had over his shoulder.

'Still no word of thanks huh?' thought Shinji, but he wasn't really expecting anything.

"The oatmeal sucks by the way," grumbled Asuka as Shinji walked past her and grabbed a bottle of water, taking a sip of it.

"Thats your fault for not waking up when I made it."

"You couldn't have just waited till I was up until you left?" Her voice was steadily beginning to rise.

"You're the one that asked me to. If you don't want them, I can just go take them back."

At this point, Asuka was looking daggers at him. Shinji didn't press his luck any further, but he thought her heard her hiss 'ass-hole' under her breath.

"Fine, give them here," said Asuka, her voice laced with venom still.

Shinji dumped the clothes wordlessly into her outstretched arms and placed the shoes beside her. Asuka looked at them for a few moments before she said-

"Well, it could have been worse I suppose," she said as she held up the t-shirt, her face rather passive. Shinji felt himself sigh with relief.

Turning around, he sat down on his own side of the fire just as Asuka said, "I see you picked yourself something as well." The anger in her voice had more or less disappeared by now.

"A sweatshirt was something that I could use," said Shinji with a shrug.

Asuka looked as though she was itching to say something, but she kept her mouth closed. She continued looking at the clothes until she grimaced and said, "I want you to turn around."

If Shinji had been wise, he wouldn't have asked, but he hadn't thought what she implied.

"Why?"

"Because I told you to dumb ass," said Asuka with as much control as she could muster.

Shinji continued looking at her for several seconds, his eyes going from the clothes, to Asuka's face which was slightly pink-

'Oh,' he thought suddenly, his own face turning slightly pink.

"Right sorry," he said hurriedly as he shifted his entire body so that he was face the other way.

"If you look this way, I'll take a piece of this burned wood and clobber you over the head with it."

'You'd have to catch me first,' thought Shinji rather angrily, but he didn't retort.

Asuka continued staring at his back for several seconds before she grimaced and turned away from him as well; no way in hell would she trust him.

Getting the plug suit off took more time that she had anticipated, especially while sitting down. It was a full body suit of course, and even though her legs were working somewhat now, it was still difficult. She had been in that damn thing for so long that she almost forgot what her own body felt like as she placed a hand against her bare chest. The cold air beat against her body, and she enjoyed this for several seconds until she felt a chill shake her body.

'Probably best to dress before I get sick again,' thought Asuka.

She first pulled the t-shirt over her body and padded it down looking at her chest. It wasn't tight, but she was still worried about a certain problem. The sweatshirt would fix that probably though. The jeans were almost her exact waist size, and she was admittedly surprised and creeped out at the same time that Shinji had got it right. As she pulled the sweatshirt over her head though, she let out a sigh, enjoying the warmth that it guaranteed. The plug suit was fine, but actually wearing cotton clothes always felt nicer. And the sweatshirt did a good job in keeping her warm.

She looked down at herself then. It may not have been the clothes she would have chosen, but it wasn't terrible either.

She turned around then, and saw that Shinji was still looking away from her.

'Well he's either a coward or honest to a fault,' thought Asuka snidely.

"You can turn around now," said Asuka.

Shinji did so, though very slowly as though he couldn't trust Asuka's own words. As he did so, he saw that she had pulled on her socks, but was having trouble getting the shoes on.

"Are they too small?" asked Shinji quietly as he watched her struggle.

"Too big," said Asuka, "but that shouldn't be a problem. My...feet...won't..."

Shinji watched her struggle for several more seconds before he sighed and stood up, walking over to her.

"What?" asked Asuka bluntly as Shinji sat down next to her.

"Give them here," he said.

"You're not dressing me," she said stubbornly.

"There just shoes," he replied.

"I don't care," said Asuka as she shook her head. She was obviously troubled that she couldn't even do this.

She did relent eventually, and Shinji took the shoe and examined it for a brief second before her took Asuka's foot, and gently slid it into the shoe. Shinji could feel her steadily growing angrier next to him as he laced them up as well. Something she had such difficult with, he had done in a second.

"Next," said Shinji.

Asuka raised her other foot, but Shinji had a feeling she would have rather planted it in his face.

He laced the other one up without much difficulty either, and then he helped her stand up so she could get a feel. She was wobbly at first, but got her balance and quickly walked slowly around, testing out the feel of the shoes.

"How is it?" asked Shinji as he walked beside to her.

"A lot different than walking in the plug suit."

This somewhat surprised Shinji.

"How come?"

"The plug suit is a full body suit first off...so theres that, and the shoes feel much closer to just wearing socks than actual shoes. Its a little...awkward at first I guess."

"Well...you got it quickly." said Shinji.

"Of course I did," said Asuka as she glanced at him.

They walked a few times around the fire until Asuka got tired and sat back down. After that, Shinji started making dinner.

After finishing, they both laid down on there respective sides of the sleeping bag and were silent for a while until Shinji broached something that he had been thinking about since yesterday.

"Asuka...yesterday you said that you had grown sick of Tokyo-3. I have too, but honestly, where else would we go?"

"How should I know."

"You don't have anywhere else you want to go?"

"Not that I could think off...I'm just not sure. Why do you?"

"Maybe...the other side of the valley...where I was before."

Asuka knew what he meant, but didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about those times.

"I don't want to talk about that right now," said Asuka as she turned away from him, away from the fire. Though as she did this, something caught Shinji's eye. He thought it was just her hair, but he noticed those things she had clipped to her hair. She had told him about them before, but he couldn't remember what they were called.

"How come you're still wearing those things?" Shinji asked without much delicacy.

"What things?" asked Asuka tonelessly.

"Those things in your hair."

Asuka turned back towards and stared wordlessly at him for a few seconds.

"I thought that you would have taken them off when you changed out of the plug suit. You said you were sick of it before so-"

"These remind me of who I am," said Asuka as she cut him off.

"Who you are?" asked Shinji confused.

Asuka didn't reply but sat up, letting the sleeping bag slide off of her. She had removed the sweatshirt and was using it as a pillow now.

"I'm an Evangelion pilot, the Second Child, and part of Nerv whose duty it is to defeat the angels."

"Isn't that in the past now though?"

"I suppose it is," said Asuka. "But these things..." she mumbled as she placed a hand over the A-10 nerve receptors, "they made who I am."

Shinji couldn't understand this however. So then...what was Asuka before she became an Evangelion pilot?

"Are you that attached to them?"

"Is that so wrong?" snapped Asuka.

"I don't think its wrong," said Shinji as he shook his head. 'But it makes you sound like you don't have a purpose anymore,' he thought silently.

Asuka watched him; she seemed unsure of herself. Or maybe she was unsure about leaving Tokyo-3. Maybe she was afraid that if she left, everything that she had existed to do would have been for naught. She had been an Evangelion pilot, but not once had she ever fought the angels. Wasn't that just a waste of an existence? A waste of her time in college? What had she been doing all this time then?

"Go to sleep Shinji," Asuka said.

While Asuka found this easy to do, Shinji had more difficulty as he lay awake thinking about Asuka. She was still unwillingly to open up about herself, and Shinji had a feeling there were several reasons for that. If being an Evangelion pilot had meant everything to her, he could understand why she didn't want to throw those things away. It was a relic of who she was, what she had been. At the same time, it was sad to see her depressed like that.

During there time together, Shinji had grown used to Asuka to the extent that he could say he wasn't bothered by her company anymore. He could even go so far as to say they were friends, though he wasn't sure if thats how Asuka viewed him as well.

He had a feeling though, that her guard might have been cracked slightly. She seemed unsure about what she wanted to do. Now that she could walk, she wasn't as helpless, nor tying them down to the beach anymore. But Shinji could also tell that she didn't want to leave Tokyo-3, even though she said what she said. She was waring with herself internally.

Shinji could wait certainly, but for how long? When would she be ready? He didn't want to push her. The last thing he needed was the Asuka that he had first met on the beach who had tried to kill him.

Even so, staying here forever wasn't going to do anything.

Shinji rolled over onto his side and faced the fire, staring across it to Asuka.

What did he want as well? There were still many things that Shinji didn't know that asking that question of himself just seemed plain stupid.

He rolled back onto his back and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, forgetting about what Asuka had told him about earlier. Whenever she was ready to talk, Shinji would be there to listen.

As he thought this, he slowly fell asleep, while above him, the clouds above Tokyo-3 started to darken.


	6. Remembrance

**Right so I'm really drunk right now so ignore any typing problems right now. This chapter is...well something that had to happen sooner or later I guess, and the sooner the better. Getting it out the of the way, Shinji and Asuka can continue there lives as so at least. Trying to do one chapter a month at least as well.**

**On another note, no idea whether I'll do a one shot for Valentines Day. Probably not in all likely hood, but on my birthday (March 10th), maybe we'll see something. I'm thinking birthday themed I guess, go figure, as I haven't done something like that before.**

* * *

><p>It was the rain that started first.<p>

Looking back on the previous week, Shinji was surprised at how lucky they had been. No more it seemed.

A storm was passing overhead, the winds billowing and screeching so loudly that Shinji thought God himself was screaming at them. The waves roared against the shore, and blew the spray from the water towards them. Not that the rain wasn't already doing that.

Shinji awoke quickly at the start of this, and immediately went to the fire which had died down during the night. It was nigh on impossible to get it started again though with the wet wood and Shinji found himself giving up quickly.

The wind continued roaring as Shinji made his way back to his sleeping bag which had been blown several feet away. He gathered it up, cursing the wind and rain as he walked, and grabbed the sweatshirt he had gotten. Throwing it over his head, he made his way back to the dead fire. It was at this point that Asuka decided to voice her opinion.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Her voice came over the wind as though it was a whisper, and Shinji could barely hear her. He could only guess at how pissed she was though.

The storm raged on through most of the night and the wind continued to howl, making conversation all but impossible unless they were right next to each other. Shinji didn't bother testing this though, as he assumed Asuka was in no mood. He wasn't very happy himself.

Wet and tired was how they spent much of that night, and only when morning came did the rain relent, but the wind continued to beat against the beach. Thankful for this much though, they both were able to get a few extra hours of sleep until Shinji woke up.

He didn't have much hope in getting a fire started, and only tried halfheartedly, until he gave up, and they had to dine on uncooked oatmeal, which was little different than slop. Though she didn't speak, Shinji heard Asuka grumbling under her breath about the sudden shift in living conditions.

They had been lucky to have the weather on there side for a while, but it seemed that there luck had run out. Shinji in particular was worried that the cold and rain might send Asuka spiraling back into a condition he didn't want to see her in. That and her legs would certainly start to seize up again.

So, because of those thoughts, he spent most of that morning searching for anything that he could use to get a fire started, going so far as to break into a car where he saw several magazines on the floor. Without anything to keep the fire going though, the paper wouldn't last very long. Then again, even if he did manage to get the fire going, it would be blown out by the wind almost certainly. The clouds above Tokyo-3 still hadn't left, and Shinji was only waiting to feel droplets of rain on his face again.

As the morning disappeared though, the rain started to slowly return, and all too quickly, the magazines that Shinji had painstakingly found were soaked through. Asuka was in no mood for this sudden realization that they would be without fire again, and found it proper to berate Shinji because of this. They both argued back and forth over the dead fire as the rain came down around them.

Dinner was even more lackluster than breakfast, and halfway through, Asuka threw the entire contents of the pot across the beach from where she sat, and started cursing wildly. Shinji would have liked to say a few things himself, even if they would have been directed at Asuka. However, he silently grabbed the pot that she had flung and brought it back to the camp.

They both lay in there sleeping bags miserable again that night and the rain poured down around them. Shinji's sleeping bag was so wet to the point that with or without it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Asuka on the other hand had completely zipped her sleeping bag up so that not even her head was poking out. Shinji didn't think that was helping much though, and sure enough, Asuka's poked out as she gasped for fresh air.

"When the fuck is this ever going to let up?" yelled Asuka, more to the sky than at Shinji.

'Not anytime soon from the look of things,' thought Shinji, but he had other problems he was worried about.

"How is your leg?" he asked.

"How the fuck do you think it is?" shouted Asuka. "It's freezing."

'Not good,' thought Shinji. 'If this cold doesn't relent soon...'

Shinji left his thought hanging, not willing to think where it might lead. But surely the storm couldn't continue on like this.

He was maybe partially right.

At some point past midnight, they both managed to fall asleep, but that was when the first bout of thunder started. It woke them up so suddenly that Shinji at first thought that his ear drums had ruptured. He stood up, and very nearly fell over as a gust of wind struck him, almost knocking him backwards. The thunder roared again, almost sounding as though giants were fighting in the city.

Shinji didn't see any other choice then what the one he had thought of earlier. He had no idea how long the storm would last, and waiting it out could be a problem, and Asuka may not make it through another night.

Throwing the sweatshirt over his already soaked shirt, he battled his way towards Asuka, feeling as though he was fighting against a giant hand that was pressing against him.

"Asuka! Get up! Now!"

Shinji could barely hear his own voice as the thunder sounded again, but he didn't think Asuka couldn't have heard him. Even so, she didn't make any move to get up.

"Asuka! We have to get out of the storm for a while! C'mon!"

Shinji shouted again, this time with more force in his voice. Asuka still didn't move, and Shinji was starting to grow worried. The thunder exploded again, and a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, lighting up the entire world for a brief instance.

Getting down on his knees, Shinji forcefully unzipped the sleeping bag and was surprised to see Asuka curled up under it with her eyes tightly shut. This scared him even more for some reason.

"Asuka, we have to move!"

She still didn't reply, or even shake her head. She didn't give any sign of moving, but she seemed to be trembling slightly. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Asuka, move!" yelled Shinji, almost directly next to her face.

"No," she finally whispered through half closed lips.

This was too much for Shinji. After hearing her praise herself constantly when she herself had done absolutely nothing, Shinji was fed up with her attitude. Forcefully grabbing her arm from inside the sleeping bag, he pulled her out of. Her body was cold to the touch and limp. Was the cold sapping her strength?

He stood her upright, angry at how stubborn she was being. This was completely different from before. If she didn't move, then Shinji would drag her to shelter if he had to. He was not leaving her again.

"Asuka, we have move. This storm won't be subsiding soon. We need to find shelter."

"No," she whispered again.

Shinji was so pissed at her that he almost hit her, though he restrained himself. Couldn't she understand that he was scared for her sake?

"Asuka...listen to me," tried Shinji calmly. "The way this weather is...your leg wont be getting better. It will be getting worse." Shinji felt like he was talking to a child.

"So we have to get out of here," he finished.

"No," she said again.

Shinji angrily grabbed her shoulders then, and shook her none to gently.

"Asuka!" he yelled at her. "We have to fucking move!"

"NO!" she screamed back at him, yanking away from his grasp. She turned around quickly, and before Shinji could do anything, she took several steps away from him, and then fell backwards onto her sleeping bag and pulled it around herself.

Shinji stared back at her, awestruck. What the hell had happened to her?

That was when he got a look at her face. Asuka was soaked just as he was. Her hair hung in great lumps around her face, shielding it mostly from view, but as Shinji looked closely, he noticed water streaking down her face that he didn't think was from the rain.

Was Asuka crying?

This surprised Shinji so much that he didn't even flinch when the thunder rolled overhead again.

Asuka was crying.

Was it because of the rain from before, when she was sick? Or was it something else?

Shinji didn't know what to do. What could he do? Asuka never cried, Shinji knew that just from watching how she acted. So why was it that she was crying now? Was it the thunder that scared her? It scared him too, but crying over it was...unlike Asuka as he knew her.

Something else...it had to have been.

'...A dream?' thought Shinji suddenly. If she had been dreaming, and it wasn't a very pleasant dream, and then the thunder...

"Is that it? Were you dreaming?" Shinji asked Asuka as he looked down at her. She didn't give any recognition to this.

Shinji felt bad for his rudeness to her earlier now.

Kneeling down in front of her, Shinji looked past the tangle of hair surrounding her face to her eyes. There were droplets of water at the corners of them, and this solidified his thought.

"Asuka..." Shinji began, but she very abruptly shook her head and mumbled-

"Leave me alone."

'Remember what happened the last time I left you alone?' thought Shinji. He wasn't about to repeat the same mistakes.

"I'm not going to leave you alone," said Shinji quietly.

Asuka looked back at him then, anger clear on her stricken face. She was torn in two right now. Her hatred over seeming helpless and whatever had scared her so was ripping her apart. And Shinji was viewing it all. She hated it.

"Not like before," Shinji said.

"Because you can't live with the guilt?" asked Asuka mocking him, though she was choking on the words.

"If I abandoned you again, what would that make me? The lowest person ever? If I felt guilty for letting a friend die while I did nothing to prevent it, then fine, call it guilt. I haven't had many people I've been able to call friends in the first place, or people I've even been able to talk to"

Asuka hesitated as he spoke the word friend. They were simply in this pile of shit together. Friendship was something else.

"Friends are..." started Asuka.

"Whether you think of me that way as well, thats your decision. Sure, things suck. We never seem to be able to agree on any one damn thing, but I'm not gonna say that I dislike being around you Asuka."

This caught Asuka off guard, and she momentarily forgot about her dream.

"We don't have any choice but to take shelter until this thing blows over. So we need to start moving."

Asuka watched him from behind her tangle of hair. Her eyes felt incredibly bloodshot and she was tired from lack of sleep. But she pushed everything to the back of her mind and stood up slowly. Her head hurt, the thunder was giving her a headache, and images kept on flashing in her mind, things she had kept buried. But that was then, and this was now.

She didn't say anything, and continued to avert her gaze from Shinji, but he was looking directly at her. On a normal day, she would have probably hit him by now.

The thunder boomed again, and they both flinched, aware again of the situation they were in.

"We need to get moving," said Shinji.

"Right," said Asuka quietly, still not looking at him. Though as she took one step forward, pain seared in her right ankle, and she stumbled forward, only to be caught by Shinji. His face was laced with fear.

"What is it? Your leg?"

"Its my ankle...I think I twisted something when I fell backwards," said Asuka, feeling even more helpless and now incredibly stupid. Why had she reacted so badly to the dream and thunder? Thunder had never particularly scared her, or maybe it was the fear of death she was feeling again.

Shinji looked at her for several seconds, before her turned around and bent down saying, "nothing we can do about it. I'll have to carry you then."

"What!?" she replied, "I'd rather walk with this bad ankle then-"

"Asuka...for once, please just shut up and do this. I'm not gonna have you fall over backwards if you try to climb that hill."

"And if you fall backwards while carrying me?" she snapped back at him, regaining some of her flare.

"Then I'll be sure to fall face first," said Shinji without a hitch in his voice. "Now hurry up."

Asuka stood silently as she watched Shinji bend down with his arms held out behind him. Anything, anything else would have been better then having to degrade herself by letting Shinji carry her. She would have almost rather have stayed here.

Slowly though, she started walking towards him until she was standing directly behind him. Placing a hand wordlessly on his shoulders, she held it there for several seconds until she brought the other hand up, and together, wrapped them both around Shinji's neck. Wordlessly, he then grabbed both her legs and lifted her slowly off the ground, forcing Asuka's chest against his back. Shinji was aware of this, but let it slip his mind. There was certainly something there, even if it was relatively small. Asuka wrapped her arms tighter around Shinji, clinging on as if she was a child. She felt embarrassed but supposed the worst was over. And Shinji's words about enjoying being around her was still ringing in her ears.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Asuka with a low sigh. Whether this was in annoyance or something else, Shinji didn't ask.

* * *

><p>They mounted the hill eventually with a small bit of difficulty. Shinji at one point lost his footing and almost did think he was going to fall backwards, just as Asuka had warned him about. The hillside had grown slippery with the downpour of rain making walking less than easy. That and with Asuka on his back, his balance was thrown off. As they had slipped, her grip around his neck tightened suddenly, cutting off his oxygen briefly, but he managed to right himself. The last thing he needed was to injure himself as well.<p>

Shinji didn't put much thought into where to take shelter, and headed towards the closest building in front of him. It wasn't the most glamorous building ever, but it did have a roof, and that meant the world to Shinji right now.

Walking over broken glass where a door no doubt once stood, he made his way to the back of the store which looked to have been a plant shop at one point. Needless to say, all the plants had withered away by now and empty pots stood where flowers once would have grown.

Finding a suitable spot away from the chill that was seeping through the broken door and windows, he gently set Asuka down, being sure that there wasn't any glass on the ground first.

Standing back up, he turned around and was about to start walking to the beach to get there stuff when Asuka caught his hand and asked-

"Where are you going?"

Shinji turned around slowly to look at her. He wasn't sure if she was still scared or what, but she didn't seem to want him to leave. This touched Shinji somewhat.

"I'm going back down there to grab our stuff; the sleeping bags in particular."

Asuka continued holding onto him however, not seeming to let go, and it was only Shinji's next words that seemed to calm her slightly.

"Don't worry, I won't be gone very long."

Asuka took several seconds before she nodded and removed her hand from his. Shinji took several more long looks at her before he left.

All in all, it only took him two trips to bring everything up to the building. He managed to pack mostly everything into the camping backpack and only went back the second time to get his sleeping bag. Asuka's he had determined was the priority, so he had placed that inside the pack, hoping it would dry off slightly.

As he made his way back into the store, he saw Asuka leaning against the wall he had left her at. At first he thought that she was sleeping, but she slowly opened her eyes and turned towards him. She seemed grim and tired.

Shinji didn't say anything to her, but started unpacking everything from the pack. The building they were in was no doubt made of wood, but Shinji didn't care right now about that. They needed a fire more than anything and he was determined to make one.

Gathering up some of the dryer, broken, pieces of wood that littered the front of the store, he tried lighting a fire. After much coaxing and cursing, he finally got it started. It was small, as Shinji didn't want to risk the fire break the floorboards as well. He wouldn't be able to keep it going through the night; an hour would be enough, as long as he watched it.

Still not looking over at Asuka, he started pulling food out of the backpack. They were both tired right now, but after everything, Shinji was hungry, and he guessed Asuka was as well.

Cooking a small portion of rice for each of them was all he could manage right now though. Carrying Asuka up that slope was more tiring than he had initially thought, and his legs were starting to ache now.

Pulling the pot off the fire, he passed it to Asuka along with a plastic spoon and said-

"Here eat this. After everything that happened, some food would do us good."

Asuka didn't respond, but took the pot from him and ate slowly. Maybe she didn't have an appetite, but she did recognize the need for food at least.

Shinji ate his share after her and laid the pot beside him. Pulling her sleeping bag out of the backpack, he laid it beside the fire, hoping it would dry quicker. He likewise did the same with his own.

Above them, the thunder continued and they could hear the rain striking the roof covering them. With shelter and fire covering them now though, Shinji wasn't as worried.

After several more minutes though, Shinji noticed the fire starting to lick the floorboards instead of the wood he had stacked. Wishing he didn't have to, he reluctantly kicked the fire out, plunging them both into darkness. Flicking on the old lighter, he examined the floorboard the fire had touched. It was slightly charcoaled, but didn't seem in any danger of breaking.

Letting out a low sigh, he sank back on his hands and wished he was anywhere but here.

"No fire then?" asked Asuka, after not having spoken for almost a whole hour.

"Can't risk it," said Shinji as he turned towards her. He could just barely make out the outline of her face in the darkened gloom.

Lightning flashed in the distance, lighting of the shop for a brief second, and Shinji's and Asuka's eyes both traveled towards the beach they had recently frequented. It was strange, leaving it really. It wasn't home, not by far, but it was where they had lived for the past month. Leaving it in this state felt odd.

'It had to happened eventually,' Shinji reminded himself.

That was true, but this was so last minute. They didn't even have anytime to think much about it. It was either this or sit in the rain and rot.

"Hey Shinji?" asked Asuka from behind him.

Shinji turned his head around to face her, but she was still looking towards the beach. Shinji's eyes were starting to adjust to the dark however, and he thought he saw her motion with her hand. It seemed she was patting the spot next to her, indicating that she wanted him to sit with her.

Shinji paused, not sure if she had understood right, but he saw her eyes flicker over to him, and there meaning seemed simple enough.

He wordlessly stood up then, and walked over to her side and sat down, leaning his back against the wall. They were right next to each other, arms bumping, almost leaning against one another. It was certainly warmer than sitting by oneself.

They sat like that together for a long while, until Asuka said-

"I'm sorry about earlier...I shouldn't have...I know we needed to move, but-"

She broke off, not sure what she was saying. But Shinji was turned towards her, watching her face. They were dryer, but Asuka's hair looked like a mess. He was sure that she normally kept it sleek and shiny, it had seemed that way when he had first found her. Now though, it looked like she had been living in a ditch.

"It's fine," mumbled Shinji, "and I'm sorry I got angry. Yes we were in a hurry, but I shouldn't have reacted that way."

Asuka shook her head.

"You were just looking out for me...as you said earlier."

Her cheeks brightened briefly at this, but she continued.

"And what you said about friends...I had never thought about that until now. You were just...another person I guess...someone I had to share the misery with. I don't hate you...I used to I suppose...but after you came back..."

Asuka paused here, but Shinji understood what she saying. She continued however.

"I'm like you in that aspect though: we both never had any friends. I was an only child, no brothers or sisters, but I didn't have any friends either, not even in college where I kept to myself and my studies. Sure I had people I'd hang out with at school, but nobody I could call close. Nobody I could talk to certainly. Nobody that would listen..."

"As weird as it it, you're really the only person I've probably talked with much. When you helped me with walking, I enjoyed that, even if it was just pointless conversations. I'd never talked with someone my own age like that before."

Asuka turned towards him and smiled slightly before saying, "I guess I sorta see as a friend as well."

Shinji blinked several times after hearing her say these things. The Asuka he was looking at now wasn't the usual grumpy abrasive one he was used to dealing with. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had laughed then, though only if there situation hadn't been so shitty.

"What did you mean by sorta though?" asked Shinji.

Shrugging, Asuka said, "Just that you do get on my nerves sometimes I guess. Though that seems to be usual."

"Look who's talking," mumbled Shinji.

Asuka elbowed him in the side then, though she did it without much purpose. She seemed to be in better spirits.

"Say anything else and I'll hit you harder."

Shinji took this with a grain of salt.

"What now though?" asked Asuka after a few seconds passed.

"Huh?"

"Are we going to stay here until the storm passes and move back down, or stay here?"

"Stay here I think," said Shinji.

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"Do you have anything to say?"

"Just that this place is little better than the beach," grumbled Asuka.

"It has a roof," Shinji pointed out.

"Then you may as well call it a house if its got a roof," said Asuka sarcastically.

Shinji didn't reply to this, but did say, "I don't know what we're going to do after the storm passes. Not stay here long I think. A fire can't be lit constantly, and warmth is important right now. How are your legs?"

"Better I suppose," said Asuka as she ran a hand down them. "They're not as cold as they were, but standing is probably still difficult, even if my ankle wasn't hurting."

"Your sleeping bag has dried some," said Shinji as he leaned forward and ran a hand on the fabric.

Asuka watched as he did this, before she let out a yawn, trying to stifle it. They hadn't gotten much sleep yet, which they were sorely lacking now.

"Sleep," mumbled Asuka, feeling both tired and unwilling to fall asleep at the same time. She was remembering the dream.

Shinji turned towards her, watching her. He was half tempted to ask her what she had been dreaming about down on the beach before she started crawling over on hands and knees towards her sleeping bag. She unzipped it and crawled inside, zipping it back up. Half of it was almost dry, the side that was closest to the fire, but Asuka could already feeling her eyelids starting to close.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" she asked Shinji, her voice growing quieter.

"In a bit, I'm going to stay awake for a while longer."

Asuka looked up at him, realizing that he was sitting almost directly next to her. She almost said something, but stopped herself.

'If he hasn't done anything by now, then there's no reason to suspect he would now,' she thought. She really could trust Shinji she supposed.

With this comforting thought, she very quickly fell asleep, her breathing slowing.

Shinji watched her for perhaps ten minutes. Sleep was calling him as well, but he wanted to be beside her for a while longer. He couldn't understand why, but he simply wanted this. Maybe he was afraid that she would awake from another dream, this time screaming. But no such thing happened. She continued sleeping peacefully.

Shinji eventually got up, and walked towards his sleeping bag.. It was still immensely soaked, but he flung it out and lay on top of it, more content this way instead of inside it. He folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, and within minutes, he was out.

* * *

><p>Some hours later, Shinji was awoken by someone nudging him gently. Of course it was Asuka. Shinji rolled over to face her and was surprised to see that she was leaning over him. He looked up at her for several seconds and saw that she seemed to have a worried look on her face.<p>

"Whats up?" he asked quietly.

"Can't sleep," mumbled Asuka.

Shinji watched her for several seconds before he sat up and asked, "How come?"

Asuka didn't quite meet his eyes when she replied, "Just couldn't."

Shinji's eyes narrowed, but not maliciously. If he was guessing, it had something to do with what happened earlier. The storm outside continued to rage, but it seemed that the thunder had moved on at least.

Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand he asked, "Is this something to do with earlier?"

Asuka nodded her head slowly. She seemed nervous and unsure, as though telling Shinji was a mistake that she would be regretting later.

"Do you...want to talk?"

Shinji wasn't sure if he could do anything to comfort her, but he could at least listen.

"I guess," said Asuka slowly, still unsure.

Shinji nodded and stood up. Asuka watched him and he passed her, until he reached for her sleeping bag which is when she became defensive.

"What are you doing!?"

"Moving your sleeping bag closer to mine."

"I could have moved it myself! And what makes you think I want to sleep next to you either!"

"I didn't say anything about sleeping next to each other. Just that it would be better if we both kept warm while you...talked." Shinji wasn't sure how this came off, but he hoped Asuka would understand this logic. And it seemed that she did, after thinking about this for a moment.

"Fine," she said as she crossed her arms, "but the minute this is over, I'm moving away from you."

"Yeah," said Shinji, rather uninterested.

He lay her sleeping bag about a foot from his own, and then laid back down on his. Asuka slowly got in her own, watching Shinji as she did so. They had been physically close before, but this felt too much like sleeping together.

After she crawled in, she covered her head with most of the sleeping bag so that only her face was sticking out. Shinji had to suppress a smile as he saw this, and he sorta thought Asuka knew he had been about to smile.

"What happened?" Shinji asked after a moments pause. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to ask her about a nightmare she had had, but he hoped this would suffice.

Asuka took even longer to respond, and when she did, it was with subdued breath.

"My childhood...wasn't very great, though from what you told me, your's wasn't great either."

"Yeah," said Shinji as he was reminded of his father.

"I think I mentioned before...that my mother worked at Gehirn, the predecessor of Nerv. Well...she died when I was young. I remember her slightly I suppose, but not much. I was left with my father after her death, and for a while, everything seemed to be fine."

"It starting with the drinking. He would come home nights smelling of alcohol, screaming for me. I was only six or seven at the time, but I can still remember the smell of booze on his breath. He...abused me, is the best way I can put this."

Asuka choked up a little here. Shinji could tell that she was greatly pained by this story, but she continued onward.

"Then the whoring started. He would bring woman home every few nights, fuck them, and then send them out. A few times I heard him calling them my mothers name, which sickened me greatly. When he was drunk though, he sometimes mistook me for a younger version of my mother. We have the same color of hair you see."

"I started to be more subdued, not talking back as much, or just learning to live with it. I was seven at the time, so what the fuck could I possibly do? The house rank like rotten food from the trash that never got taken out. Stacks of dirty dishes filled the sink, and the bathroom was covered in shit and vomit half the time."

"I started to think for myself though, vowing to leave that shit hole one day. I managed eventually of course. When I was old enough, I filled some papers and managed to get my way into a college in Germany. This was thanks to Nerv in some aspects I guess, as they knew I was the daughter of Kyoko, thats my mothers name. So I was able to get into college thanks to them. When I came back to tell my father this, that I was leaving, he started shouted at me, saying I was just like my mother. He always resented her for her research and success I suppose."

Asuka paused here and drew in breath. Her head was starting to hurt again as she remembered all these painful memories.

"I haven't seen him since I left," she continued. "I kept everything bottled up inside me for the most part and just tried to forget everything since I became an Evangelion pilot. I enjoyed the fact that I had been selected to pilot one, the chosen few. I felt superior then everyone else."

"I remembered...things, when you left Shinji," Asuka said. "When I was on the beach...dying reminded me of those times. The smell of that house, the hopelessness, my father, the abuse. I remembered those things that I had purposefully forgotten about. It rushed back to me though, as it did tonight. The thunder might have triggered it, but for a moment, I thought that I was back there. I sometimes think I am when I first wake up, but then I see the things around me and everything comes back. I'm stuck in this damn place with nobody but you...but I'd still prefer my life now than how it was back then."

Asuka finished talking then, and turned her face to Shinji. She had been speaking to the ceiling this whole time, and only now looked at him.

Shinji's face was passive for the most part, but he was angry, even though he had never met this person.

"That-" Shinji started, but Asuka cut him off.

"Don't bother saying anything about him. He's dead, just like millions of other people. I can't say I dislike the thought of his death, but thinking about it isn't doing me any good."

"Even so," mumbled Shinji.

"Thats from the past," replied Asuka. "I haven't forgiven him, but nor will I forget him. I have to live with that. Just like you and your father."

Shinji was silent as she said this. Yes, there stories had certainly similarities he supposed, but he was once again surprised by these similarities. He wouldn't forget about his father, as it was something that he couldn't come to grips with at the same time. If he had said something to him before all this, maybe, but seeing as he was likely dead...

"Asuka?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you decide to tell me this."

"Brooding over it wasn't doing me any good, and honestly, talking about it feels okay. As I said, I've never had anyone to say these things to. Maybe sleep will come easier now."

She shrugged after she said this, and they both lapsed into silence.

After several moments though, Asuka slid out of her sleeping bag, and sat up, looking at Shinji.

"Um...Shinji?"

"Huh?"

Shinji turned to look at her, and saw that she was fidgeting slightly with her sleeping bag.

"What I want to say is...I guess...well...thanks for today, for listening to me, and everything."

Shinji wouldn't have been surprised if his jaw had dropped; Asuka was actually thanking him?

"We're in this together," he replied, shrugging off his initial surprise. "And arguing about it isn't going to change that."

"Doesn't mean I can't dislike it," mumbled Asuka quietly.

"Dislike it all you want," said Shinji as he sat up as well. "Doesn't change the fact we're stuck together for who knows how long."

"Enjoyable," smirked Asuka.

They sat like that for several seconds, staring at each other until Asuka turned her head away and slowly stood up. This surprised Shinji slightly.

"Isn't your ankle still hurting?"

"A bit, but its manageable. How do you think I got over here?"

Crawling came first to Shinji's mind, but that was a sure way to piss off Asuka.

"Anyway, I'm going to sleep," said Asuka as she rolled up her sleeping bag and carried it away from him. Shinji couldn't help but notice that it wasn't the same spot she had left it. She was closer to him, but not by much.

As she lay back down though, Shinji felt there was one last thing he should tell her.

"Asuka?"

"What? I'm trying to fall asleep over here idiot."

"I know...just that, if you ever have anything you need to talk about..."

Asuka rolled over to face him and said, "Talk to you? Seems almost as pointless as talking to the First Child." She smiled though and said, "But I'll remember that offer I guess. Now goodnight, and don't wake me until breakfast is ready."

Without much passage of time, Asuka was fast asleep, her face turned towards Shinji. He fell asleep shortly afterwards, now wrapped in his sleeping bag, which had finally dried. He was glad that Asuka had decided to tell him about this, even if it had been rather morbid. Even if it had been small, they had grown closer.

* * *

><p>The rain had subsided during the night, and only a light drizzle was falling down. Shinji stood outside the shop they were living in and inhaled the clean fresh air. It did at least seem cleaner after the downpour, even if it had initially sucked. The small droplets of water that was falling into his hair did feel refreshing.<p>

They had already finished breakfast but had gotten up extremely late, but that was to be expected. Neither of them mentioned what had transpired last night, and Asuka seemed to be determinedly ignoring it. She was pointedly nicer to Shinji, but still seemed to be ashamed of herself over how she had reacted when the thunder had woken them. Shinji didn't say anything, knowing that it would anger her. Talking had been for last night, and Shinji had a feeling that while Asuka had told him about it, she didn't want him telling her everything was okay.

She did seem to be able to walk still, which seemed to be a blessing thought Shinji as she walked outside to stand beside him.

"Still raining?" she asked.

"Yeah, but nothing like last night. Its even kinda nice."

"How can you say that after how miserable we were?" Asuka had never liked the rain, as it always depressed her slightly. Shinji was however rather surprised that Asuka had implied we in this topic.

"C'mon, lets go back inside," said Asuka after a few moments passed. Shinji would honestly rather have stayed there a few seconds longer, but he followed suit.

Shinji had lit the fire while he had been making breakfast, but now, without it burning, the temperature had dropped inside. Shinji sat down on his sleeping bag cross-legged while Asuka sat across from him, leaning up against the wall. She didn't have the sleeping bag wrapping around her, but the hood of her sweatshirt was covering her head, and the drawstrings were pulled so tightly that just her mouth and nose was sticking out. Shinji at first thought to comment on this, but then thought otherwise.

Shinji was just wishing that he had a book to read or something to listen to though when Asuka asked him-

"Shinji...when the weather clears up...would you be interested in going to the Geofront?"

"Geofront?" said Shinji confused, and then he remembered.

"Where Nerv is?" he asked suddenly interested.

"Yeah," nodded Asuka. "I think it'd be a good idea for the both of us to see it. I doubt anyone is alive there, but it seems to be an important place to the both of us."

"True," replied Shinji. "What do you think we'll find though?"

"Honestly...nothing in all likely hood. If the city is any indiction, the Geofront isn't much better off."

"Wouldn't it be safer underground though?"

"You're forgetting though that the angels were targeting this place because Nerv was here."

"Oh...right," mumbled Shinji. He had hoped to maybe see one of the Evangelions, but they most likely would have been all destroyed in the battle...if anything had happened of course.

"Why did you ask though?" wondered Shinji.

"I thought that you would like to see for yourself where your father spent most of his time. Myself...well, after...everything I said last night, I felt like visiting Nerv. It was the one place that I felt like I was wanted. Sure the adults talked with there usual bullshit. But some of the people were nice. My guardian in particular looked after me...for the most part at least."

Asuka suddenly started to smile, making Shinji confused.

"What was that for?" asked Shinji.

"Nothing," Asuka shook her head. "Just remembering something about her."

"Do you know where we could get in though?"

"There were several emergency passages that employees used. Even though the city is little more then ruins, I should be able to find one that we can access."

Shinji nodded his head then, thinking about that point when he would be able to see Nerv.

Asuka however was watching the passive look on his face and eventually had to say, "I'm surprised you're not more exited about this. You've been asking questions about Nerv at almost every chance you got. I'm sick of it honestly."

"I just don't know what to think of it I guess. Hearing about it and seeing are two different things. Not to mention, my father was the director, and that I might have worked there if the angels hadn't attacked."

"I guess if you're that worried, we don't have to go then," said Asuka, teasing him.

"I'm fine," said Shinji rather harshly.

"God, I was just kidding idiot," scowled Asuka.

"Forget it," said Shinji. "If the rain lets up tomorrow, then we can start searching."

Asuka rolled her eyes and sighed, forgetting about his stupidity. Shinji however was wondering what the Geofront looked liked. Asuka had told him it had an underground lake at the very least, but other than that, she hadn't said much.

Whether they would have gone there if Asuka hadn't told him about her father, Shinji wondered about this. It was certainly an important place for the both of them, no getting around that fact he supposed, maybe even more so for Asuka.

They had grown closer since last night Shinji supposed, and this was a step in the right direction. But, he was nervous all the same about what might await them down in the bowels of the Geofront.


	7. Return

**Longer chapter here then what I've done so far, but I'll talk more about stuff at the end of this.**

* * *

><p>The rain continued drizzling down into the next day, though this didn't stop Shinji and Asuka from starting there journey to the Geofront. There going was still slow however. Asuka could walk well enough, but she did tire out easily, and they had to stop several times. Thankfully, Shinji had brought plenty of food for the journey. He was a little worried about the water, but if the rain continued to drizzle down, then they should be fine.<p>

Though Shinji had already seen the city in great detail, Asuka kept on turning her head as she looked around. Shinji wasn't sure if she was surprised by the surroundings or simply curious. He rather suspected it was this last one. She seemed to be mumbling occasionally about the devastation, and Shinji had a strong suspicion about what she thought had caused all this.

They had left earlier that morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise. Though now, it was closer to noon.

They took a break again for lunch, both eating in silence for a greater part of the time. Asuka still seemed to be intrigued about the state of Tokyo-3, and Shinji was wondering what Nerv would look like.

Finishing lunch, they packed up and continued on there way. Several times, Asuka paused at certain points and just looked at a building or maintenance access before shaking her head. Shinji didn't ask, but he assumed these were places that Nerv employees could gain access to the Geofront through. Unfortunately, most places they passed were completely crushed.

The rain started relenting, as the sun was high in the sky and they had to take another break, since Asuka was starting to get tired.

Leaning against the shade of a building that miraculously had its awning still intact, Asuka downed the bottle of water that Shinji had passed her mere moments ago. The sun was slowing them down more so than the rain had, and Asuka seemed to be tiring out easier. Once or twice, Shinji saw her wince. Even though it had only been a sprain, her ankle must still be hurting.

"Maybe we should just head back," said Shinji as he leaned against the building with her.

Asuka turned towards him and simply frowned, showing her displeasure at this.

"Its just a suggestion," said Shinji. "Its not like the Geofront is going anywhere, and who knows how long it'll take to find an access point we can use."

"I'd rather do this now," said Asuka.

"How come?"

"If I ignore it later, I may not be able to go back."

Shinji would have loved to ask why, but he thought it was a personal answer she didn't want to answer. Maybe she had another reason she wanted to go to the Geofront then what she alluded last night.

"We aren't going back," stated Asuka firmly.

Almost with that thought, she pushed herself off the wall, and started walking forward. This was so sudden that Shinji had to struggle to gather up the backpack he had dumped next to them.

Just as Shinji had once noticed, as they got further into the city, the buildings here seemed to be even more demolished. It wasn't unusual to just see entire city blocks completely destroyed. Skyscrapers had fallen down, making it difficult to navigate across sometimes. Shinji was still worried that the infrastructure in some of these buildings weren't the best, so they tried to avoid these ones.

They passed more potential access points, all of which Asuka ignored. It seemed that there was a particular one she had in mind, but how far it was, was a different story. Shinji was starting to wonder if they would even find one before night time. They hadn't brought any flash lights, which now that he thought about it, was a problem. Even if they did find this place, if they didn't have light, there wasn't much hope.

They continued walking in silence, Shinji only trying to talk for the sake of it, but Asuka seemed more focussed on her goal. She seemed determined, or obsessed might have been a better way of putting it. Shinji was starting to worry about her, as she seemed to continue pushing herself forward, even though each step seemed to be more tiring then the last.

After another hour of this however, Shinji had to say something. Asuka had stumbled many times since there last break point, but every time Shinji tried to help her, she had refused him rudely. Now that she could walk on her own, she didn't want any help from him. Shinji couldn't call this walking however; she was stumbling around more than walking now.

"Asuka, thats enough," said Shinji as he stopped and swung off his pack. The sun was beginning to set now, and he figured now was the best time to halt.

"No, we can still go further," said Asuka as she stood there, sweat dripping off her brow.

"You're exhausted, and it hasn't even been a week since you started walking again."

"I don't need your pity."

"I'm not trying to pity you, I'm just trying to watch out for you."

"Well stop. Its disgusting."

'Stubborn as always,' thought Shinji with a sigh.

"We can resume this tomorrow when we actually have daylight. Or would you rather find your way in the dark?"

Asuka scowled at him, but heard the reasoning behind this. Still unhappy about this, she turned around to face Shinji and said, "Fine," before walking past him.

They made the best of things as they rolled out there sleeping bags in the middle of the road. Shinji didn't want to worry about starting a fire in a building, so sleeping on the asphalt was the best, if not most comfortable, decision. He went around to the buildings that lined the street and grabbed whatever bits of wood he could find to start the fire. With the rain having stopped, getting the fire to light was much easier as well.

Dinner was nothing special, as it usually was, and afterwards, Asuka lay down on her sleeping bag and let out a low sigh of relief.

'See, you were tired,' thought Shinji smugly.

He was a bit tired himself however, so he lay down on his own. It certainly wasn't the most comfortable, but it would do, and something about sleeping next to the fire again felt right.

"Asuka, can I ask you something?"

Silence greeted his question for a few seconds until she finally replied.

"Fine...what?"

"Is it possible any of the Evangelions are there...at Nerv I mean?"

Shinji didn't think Asuka was going to reply to this, because she took a long time to reply. Though when she finally did-

"Its not entirely impossible, though unlikely as well."

"What do you mean?"

"I would think you would have figured it out for yourself by now Shinji," said Asuka with an annoyed sigh. "The buildings around are evidence enough for that. Whatever happened here, the best bet would be that the Evangelions had some involvement in it."

"But you said that there were three of them."

"Yeah," nodded Asuka. "Unit 00 was the First's, and Unit 02 was my own. Unit 01 however didn't have a pilot yet. At least one Evangelion helped with this destruction though, along with the angels as well."

"Then your own and Unit 01 might still be at Nerv then."

"Maybe," replied Asuka slowly.

In reality though, she wasn't sure of this. If Unit 02 was still at Nerv, then why had she been in her plug suit when she had awoken on the beach. There was still the problem of her missing memory as well, not to mention Shinji's. Her best guess was that she had participated in whatever had happened here, even if she couldn't remember it, and this worried her. What could have happened that affected her memory so badly? There were too many unanswered questions about what had actually happened here in Tokyo-3 and it bothered her.

"Even if any of them are still there, getting to them would be entirely different. With no electricity, the elevators will be down and theres no guarantee that the maintenance access wont have escaped any damage," said Asuka.

"Aren't you at least curious though?" asked Shinji.

Was she? Asuka didn't know. She had to see Nerv first though until she could decide what she wanted to do afterwards. She had strong ties to the place afterall, even if she didn't want to admit it. Her life was certainly different now, tied up with the idiot across the fire from her. Maybe she just wanted some finality from her past life. Until she saw Nerv though, she couldn't come to grips with that.

"I don't know," replied Asuka slowly. This was how she actually felt.

Shinji stared across the fire at her, seeing the shadows from the fire dancing across her face. Asuka was caught between some turmoil, that much was obvious. If she didn't want to say whatever it was, then that was fine as well, but Shinji at least hoped that seeing Nerv would alleviate some of this pain.

"I'm going to sleep," said Asuka as she turned away from him.

'Probably best to,' thought Shinji as well. And he was tired.

He had his own thoughts about Nerv as well, even if he didn't mention them. Even though he had never been to the place, he felt that so much of his recent life was wrapped up in the place. A part of him even worried that things would change once they got there.

'No sense worrying,' thought Shinji as he rolled over and was out within minutes.

* * *

><p>Shinji woke up abruptly that next morning as Asuka woke him up by rolling him over with the edge of her foot. As Shinji looked up at her, he could tell that she was in no mood for arguments. He quickly made breakfast, and with that, they were off, just as the sun was beginning to rise. It seemed Asuka planned on finding the maintenance access today, judging by the pace she was setting.<p>

It was starting to look like a battlefield here as they continued onward into areas of the city Shinji hadn't even seen yet. Buildings on either side of them were little more than heaps of rubble, and once or twice, they saw what appeared to be armored vehicles that had been crushed to dust. It almost looked like a war had broken out or something.

Shinji thought about bringing this up to Asuka, but realized she was in her own world. She was walking with her arms crossed, her head turning many different ways as she took in the environment. Once or twice they stopped so she could figure out where they were. She seemed to have a very good layout of Tokyo-3 already in her mind, even though she hadn't been into the city as much as Shinji had. But again, he had to remind himself, that she probably memorized the layout of the city on orders from Nerv incase something like this did happen.

"Hold on," said Asuka as she stopped moving suddenly.

"What?" said Shinji, suddenly feeling nervous. Was something wrong?

Asuka stood there for a few seconds looking at a store across the street. She seemed to be contemplating something.

"Wait here for a second," said Asuka as she started walking towards it.

"Shouldn't I-"

"Wait," repeated Asuka with more force in her voice now.

Shinji was left to stand there with the pack on his shoulders as Asuka walked into the abandoned store. It was more or less intact, but even this didn't put an end to Shinji's worry. What if the roof collapsed suddenly and Asuka was trapped inside...or crushed by the falling debris.

Shinji didn't have to worry however, as Asuka walked out moments later, stepping around the fallen glass as she did.

"Why did you go in by yourself?" asked Shinji the moment that she returned.

"Like you'd know what to look for even if there was a way into Nerv right in front of your face," said Asuka. She continued looking at Shinji however, rather surprised at how annoyed he seemed.

"Were you worried by any chance?" asked Asuka with a slight laugh.

Shinji didn't reply, now feeling embarrassed over how he had reacted.

"Well, there is an access point in there," said Asuka, ignoring the silence between them.

"Are you sure?" asked Shinji.

"Its the only one I used, so yes, I am."

This surprised Shinji.

"You've used it before?"

"Yeah, when I first came here. I had a long day of tests and wanted to escape and walk around the city for a while. I used this to escape."

"Does it take us to Nerv?"

"Not exactly. It'll take us to the Geofront, but from there, we'll have to walk the rest of the way to Nerv. Even so, its better than any other option I can find."

Together, they both walked into the store and Asuka directed him down to the basement where it was. Shinji was rather surprised that it was little more than a manhole covering a ladder. Though as Asuka explained, this was incase all electricity went out in the city. It may be rudimentary, but it did work. She was also very adamant about her going first and Shinji afterwards. Shinji didn't think this made any sense, as he was the one carrying the pack, and if he lost his footing, then they would both fall. Asuka wasn't budging on this however.

They slowly started descending the ladder. Down and down it went until darkness completely engulfed them. Shinji was taking his time finding the next placement for his foot. His greatest fear was that he would suddenly find that there wasn't anymore ladder.

Asuka seemed to be fine, maybe because she had already done this before, but she started taking it slower as well as they continued downwards. How far had they come? They were certainly far underneath Tokyo-3 by now.

Just as Shinji wondering if this was ever going to stop, Asuka called a stop. They hadn't stopped at all or said anything since the descent, so this came as something of a surprise to Shinji.

"What is it?" asked Shinji.

"Hand me the lighter," said Asuka.

Shinji dug it out of his pocket and handed it to her. Asuka flicked it on and looked down below. There was a slight drop, maybe ten feet or so. Simple enough. Problem was, Asuka new it wasn't like this the first time she had used the ladder. Bending down to look at the end of the ladder, she saw that it had been cleanly cut by something. She bit her lips in frustration. Certainly nobody had been down here since Tokyo-3 had become a wasteland, so the only thing that made sense was that somebody had done this during whatever had happened in Tokyo-3.

'Is it possible the government intervened in Nerv for some reason?' thought Asuka. They had certainly seen vehicles that looked military like, and even the battleships that littered the bay of Tokyo-3 came to mind. She chose not to tell any of this to Shinji however.

"Its a bit of a drop," said Asuka as she looked up the ladder at him.

"How much is a bit?"

"Ten feet."

Shinji felt slight relief from that. Ten feet wasn't bad, though the pack would weigh him down slightly.

Moments later, Asuka jumped and landed easily at the bottom. Turning around, she directed the light to Shinji so he could see where he was jumping. He jumped, though not as gracefully as Asuka had, and landed with a thud as the pack brought him down on his butt. Asuka had to suppress a grin as she walked over to him and held out a hand to help him up.

"That was a funny flail," said Asuka with a smirk.

Shinji didn't reply, feeling that his pride was somehow hurt. Something else bothered him however.

"Didn't your ankle hurt from that Asuka?"

"Not really, I placed most of my weight on my other foot."

Shinji was again surprised at how athletic Asuka seemed to be.

They walked forward now, Asuka leading with the lighter. She seemed to know exactly which way to go now. They turned down several hallways all having adjacent hallways which led off in different directions. Shinji knew that if he had tried this himself, he would have been lost right at the start.

They rounded another corner and Asuka led them to a door. Trying to turn the door knob had no affect however. Setting down his pack, Shinji walked over and pushed against it, throwing his weight against the door. Asuka did likewise, and they got the door open. Darkness greeted them again, and Asuka led the way down the stairwell.

"Where is this taking us?" asked Shinji.

"The Geofront...or it should unless something happened," said Asuka.

They went down several more flights of stairs until they reached another door. This one opened quite easily, and Shinji and Asuka walked out into the Geofront.

Shinji was momentarily blinded as he walked out, and had to shield his eyes with his hand as the sun beat down on him. It took Shinji several seconds for the absurdity of this thought to take hold, but as he looked up, he saw where the sun was coming from. A gaping hole opened up above the Geofront, letting sunlight rain into the underground facility. Shinji marveled at this for several seconds until he turned to Asuka and saw the surprised look on her face.

"What is it?" he asked.

"That hole...isn't supposed to be there," she mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"Reinforced layers cover the entirety of the Geofront so that it isn't supposed to be penetrated from anything."

"Then what did it?" asked Shinji.

Asuka was silent, but the only thing she knew that could do something like that was an N2 bomb. Again, the thought that the government had interfered somehow started to grow on her mind. But that was in the past.

"C'mon," said Asuka as she ignored Shinji's question.

They walked along the path, getting closer to Nerv. Shinji was surprised to see that there was grass down here as well as trees and when he asked Asuka about this, she said it had something to do with terraforming.

As they passed more trees, the lake came into view, as well as the headquarters of Nerv. Shinji stood on a hill overlooking everything and marveled that human engineering could make something like this. The lake in the middle of course was filled with the LCL fluid, but Nerv looked more or less intact.

"Is that it then?" asked Shinji as he pointed to the pyramid shaped building.

"Yeah," replied Asuka. "Thats the headquarters of Nerv."

The structure was exactly in the shape of a pyramid, but entirely black and very smooth it seemed. Directly next to it was the lake filled with the LCL fluid. Shinji and Asuka followed the path down to the lake and refilled their water bottles first before continuing onward.

As they neared the giant pyramid however, Shinji had to ask something.

"How exactly are we supposed to get in there?"

Asuka stopped in her tracks; she hadn't thought of that in all honesty. Just getting to the Geofront seemed difficult enough as it was.

"Without power, I'm not entirely sure. Though there should be a side entrance somewhere we can use."

"How long were you here for exactly?" asked Shinji, slightly accusingly.

"One week or so," said Asuka. 'Or more,' she later thought. 'Depends on if you include the memory loss.'

"Well, I'll think about that in a minute though. Lunch sounds good right now."

Shinji had to agree, so he started pulling stuff out of the backpack to cook with. They ate lunch just above the lake, sitting on a slope that overlooked it. It was nice down here Shinji had to admit, even though they were several hundred feet underground. Considering that there were trees and grass down here, unlike above the surface, Shinji could get used to living here. Though whether Asuka would agree with him on this remained to be seen.

After eating, Asuka seemed to have made a decision on there next course, so they set back off along the path. They walked for what felt like another hour until they reached a small outpost set up along a road. It was gated, and had scanners and cameras along the side. Asuka looked into the outpost, but didn't see anything of use. The gate was large, but not large enough that they could jump it. Asuka climbed first and reached the top, allowing Shinji to toss the pack to her so she could drop it over the other side. Shinji then followed her lead, and jumped onto the other side.

Asuka told him that even though the power wasn't working, most of the gated entry ways into Nerv had manual overrides that could be used in dire situations. If this wasn't a time to use them, Shinji didn't know what was.

Off to the side, just in front of the large metal door that was apparently part of D block was one of these manual overrides. It was a metal door with the word 'emergency access' splashed across it in big red letters. Upon the door was a large hand crank that Asuka tried first, but it took their combined strength to open the door. Shinji guessed that this wasn't something fifteen year olds were supposed to be using.

Darkness engulfed them again, and Asuka lit the lighter again, giving them a faint ray of light that led them forward. They were in a very narrow hallway now, and were forced to walk single file until they came to another of the emergency access doors. They opened it again and Shinji looked up to the large ceiling that folded out above him.

"This is something like a hub I guess you could call it," said Asuka. "The walk ways usually move on there own, directing people to where they want to go and they branch off in different directions as well. Science labs, research labs, offices, medical facilities, all have there own area. The elevators of course also add to the transportation."

"How many people actually worked here."

"Not sure," said Asuka truthfully. "I only knew a handful of people that worked here, but I'm sure that it took a thousand or so workers just to run this place as well as the Geofront."

It felt weird to think that people were going about there daily lives in a facility this large not even two months ago. Shinji wondered if his father hadn't walked this very same path at one point.

"So where exactly are we going first then?" asked Shinji.

"Ideally, it would be the command center, but reaching it would be difficult. I know there is a ladder that leads there somewhere, though I'm not sure where it would be. Next it would be the Evangelions chamber I guess."

"Aren't those several levels higher than we are though?"

"I'm surprise you remembered. Yeah, they are, though I remember well enough how to get there. There was one other thing I figured I'd show you."

"What?"

"The commanders office," said Asuka simply.

Shinji had to do a double take at that, and for a minute he wasn't sure what to say.

"Are you surprised?" asked Asuka.

"A little...yeah," replied Shinji slowly. "Why did you to decide to show me that?"

"I thought that it would be good for you to see where your father spent most of his time."

"You've been there before?"

"Once," said Asuka. "When I first came here, my guardian brought me before him."

Shinji was still looking at her strangely however, and Asuka could feel her patience running thin.

"What!?" she snapped at him.

"No...sorry, still surprised is all that you would consider showing me something like that."

Asuka didn't like his tone, so she retorted angry, "What? You don't want to see it?"

"I do...but thinking about me is strange coming from you I guess."

Shinji said these feelings honestly, as it seemed that Asuka rarely did seem to have Shinji's interests on her mind. She normally just said or did whatever she pleased and didn't worry about what he would think. Seeing her considering his thoughts about his father was a bit of a surprise to Shinji.

Asuka wasn't too pleased by Shinji's response however, because she hit him in the arm and said, "Just because I'm not constantly badgering you about your feelings doesn't mean I don't listen! This place holds significance to you as well, so of course I'd think to show you your fathers office!"

"Okay, okay," said Shinji, trying to avoid an argument. Even though he had stated his surprise over Asuka's decision to show him where his father worked, he was touched by her consideration in his feelings. He hadn't thought about asking about this in the first place, as it seemed Asuka had her own things she was dealing with, and Shinji didn't want to get in the way of those. He was curious about his fathers work, even though he didn't say anything. So getting to see where he spent most of his time was nice at least.

"Are you coming, or are you going to stand there all day?" asked Asuka who was several paces in front of him. She seemed to be slightly grumpy.

Shinji hurried forward to walk alongside Asuka and said, "Thank you."

"Say your thanks after you've seen his office. Its not the most heartwarming."

Shinji nodded silently, wondering what she meant by that.

* * *

><p>They followed the walkways for a while in silence, Asuka leading the way. Eventually, they branched off down a hallway, and then another. It was at this point that Asuka called for a stop, as she saw something darkened on the floor.<p>

"Hold on Shinji," said Asuka as she held the lighter out in front of her, looking at the floor in front of her.

"What is it?" he asked, not able to see whatever it was she was looking at.

Asuka bent down, and ran her finger over the substance. It was impossible to mistaken the color, and even though it had dried, it still had a sickly red look.

"Blood," said Asuka heavily.

"Blood?" asked Shinji confused. "What do you mean?"

Asuka stared down at the dark patch of blood, already dried onto the metal floor. It seemed that her suspicions were correct.

"Something I didn't tell you about before Shinji. When we came down the first ladder leading from the surface to the Geofront, the last bit was cut by a saw blade of some kind. It was fine when I climbed it originally, but now its broken. I wondered why that would be. After this though, it seems apparent that the government attacked Nerv at some point."

"Attacked...what do you-"

"Think about the vehicles we saw on are way here, as well as the large hole in the Geofront. I'm sure that the angels were part of this, but the military seemed to have been mobilized against Nerv as well."

"Why would they do that?"

"Not everyone in the government agreed with what Nerv did, or believed that the angels were even real. Some of them saw Nerv as a dangerous corporation, and the Evangelions as demons. Though to go this far..."

Asuka wondered just how many had died before Third Impact had been initiated.

Shinji now stood beside her and looked at the dark stain on the ground. It was impossible to mistaken it as something else. Even in the light from the lighter, the blood still had a certain sheen to it.

"Lets go," said Asuka, "Theres no point lingering here, and we should be getting close to where the ladder is for the Evangelions."

"Okay," mumbled Shinji, taking one last look at the blood before he followed her.

It didn't take long until Asuka found the ladder that would take them up to the Evangelions floor. This time, Asuka made Shinji go before her, and this time, he was starting to get an idea why. Though in all honesty, what reason did she think he had for looking up at her ass while they were climbing up. It made no sense really.

As he reached the top, Shinji waited for Asuka to appear so that he could see. Though he was starting to get used to the lack of light, having the lighter still made a large difference.

After Asuka reached the top, she flicked the lighter on and walked around a corner to where the door for the Evangelions were stored. Here, the fighting seemed to be some of the worst, as there was blood spilled across so much of the floor that little of the original whiteness could be seen. Shinji tried not to look down at this, or vomit, so he instead focused on the flame in front of him.

Though Asuka knew that the door wouldn't open, she still tried pressing her weight against it, hoping that it might have gotten damaged at some point during the fighting. No luck however, as she gave up after the third attempt.

"What now?" asked Shinji.

"Give me a second," said Asuka as she tilted her head slightly.

She thought for almost a minute, just starring at the door in front of her. It was impossible to break through the door, that much was sure.

"The ventilation duct may work," whispered Asuka as she thought about this.

"Huh?" muttered Shinji.

"I think I thought of something," said Asuka as she turned around and started walking back down the hallway they had just come from. Instead of turning right however, where the ladder they had just come, she continued down the hallway and turned left. There was a ventilation duct there with a large quantity of blood slopped around it and even on the walls next to it. Whats more, the cover had already been taken off the duct.

Getting down on her hands and knees, Asuka looked into the duct with the light before standing up again.

"A little small, but it should take us directly over the Evangelions chamber."

Shinji was more worried about the blood around the duct though. It was ominous for some reason.

"You go first," said Asuka as she held the lighter out for him.

Shinji took it wordlessly, not bothering to question Asuka's logic, and bent down to start crawling. It was then that it hit him. Something seared into his mind, penetrated it. Something...no somebody. An image? A person? Shinji felt pain suddenly and wanted to cry out. Everything was red, even the persons jacket. What was it? Death was hovering in place. Words were spoken, but Shinji couldn't hear them. He wanted to say something, but his mouth wasn't working. His body wasn't under his control. Blood continued seeping out and pooling next to the body. Shadows appeared, hovering over the body. Words again were spoken; the shadows left. Or did they die too? No...later...later. Shinji couldn't do anything as he watched life disappear. Something else though...another voice? Something familiar it seemed. From the ventilation duct? No, that seemed impossible. Who could be speaking to him from there.

Sharp pain jolted him out of the vision. Everything was muffled, but his hearing was starting to come back. What had just happened to him?

"Oi!? What are you doing? Move the fuck forward!" shouted Asuka from behind Shinji.

"What?" said Shinji, still dazed from whatever had happened.

Asuka kicked him again, just as she had done moments ago to wake him.

"Why are you just kneeling there!? Get moving!"

"Oh...sorry..." said Shinji, still heavily confused.

"Jeez...what were you doing just sitting there. Dreaming?"

'Maybe I was,' thought Shinji. Though as he looked down at the dried blood that his hand was pressed to, he wasn't entirely sure. Whether what he had really seen had happened right here, he pushed it all to the back of his mind. It wasn't something to dwell on.

They slowly crawled through the duct, Shinji leading this time until he stopped and spoke to Asuka behind him.

"I think I reached the end," he said.

"What do you see?"

"Not much really."

"Well look harder then," retorted Asuka angrily.

Shinji bit back the retort he wanted to throw, but did what she told him. He perched on the edge of the duct, and peered over, waving the lighter as he did so. The drop actually wasn't that bad, about as much as it had been with the ladder. Without bothering to mention this to Asuka, he dropped right down and out of her sight. Landing on the ground, Shinji turned around just as Asuka looked out of the duct at him. She did not seem happy.

"You could have mentioned you were going to jump you fucking idiot," yelled Asuka.

"Worried?" asked Shinji.

It was Asuka's turn to be embarrassed, and she didn't say anything as she jumped down. Landing rather awkwardly on her foot. Shinji had to stifle a grin at that.

"Gimme that," said Asuka as she snatched the lighter out of his hand and started walking around.

She held the lighter up high, peering around the large chamber. Shinji walked several steps behind her, looking at everything around him. The chamber was quite large. Though as he continued walking, he noticed something-

"None of the Evangelions are here," said Shinji as he looked at one of the many empty spaces.

"As I figured," said Asuka.

"What about Unit 01? I thought you said it didn't have a pilot."

"Not that I knew of at least," said Asuka with a sideways glance at Shinji.

"You don't seem surprised that none of them are here?"

"I'm not honestly," said Asuka.

"Then what was the point of coming here?"

Asuka didn't reply as she looked at an empty spot in the chamber. Shinji walked over to where she stood and looked up the edge. The orange like LCL fluid seemed to fill the entire chamber from the bottom, up to the gangways.

"This is where my Evangelion would have stood if it were here," mumbled Asuka.

"Unit 02?" asked Shinji.

"Yeah," sighed Asuka.

"Is it possible that it is lost in the city somewhere?"

"Considering that the Evangelions are larger than most skyscrapers, unlikely. No, it was most likely destroyed somehow."

Shinji could hear the hurt in Asuka's voice and was reminded again just how much being an Evangelion pilot meant to her.

"How do we get out of here?" asked Shinji.

"Service ladder over there," said Asuka as she pointed to a far corner. "It should take us to the level directly above your fathers office."

Shinji watched her silently for several seconds as she continued looking up at the empty where Unit 02 once stood.

"Asuka," he started, "we can stay here longer if you want to..."

"No...thats okay Shinji. Just being here and seeing that its not here is okay. I never had much hope in the first place. Though thanks for the thought."

Asuka turned to him and give him a small smile, before walking away from part of her past life.

Shinji thought the smile was sad though.

After they reached the next floor above the Evangelions, Asuka led him down several hallways until they reach a maintenance stairwell that ran parallel alongside the elevator. Following this up several flights of stairs, they came into another hallway that seemed much smaller than others. Walking down it a ways, Asuka eventually stopped at a pair of double doors.

"This is it," said Asuka.

Shinji looked at the doors for several seconds before he turned the knob on one of them. It opened easily. As he went to step inside however, he noticed that Asuka was leaning against the wall directly next to the door.

"Aren't you going inside?" he asked her.

"No, I'll stay here and wait for you. This is more something that I think you should do on your own."

"Won't it be dark out here though?"

"Leave the lighter with me then. You should be able to see fine in there."

Shinji was confused by this statement, but he listened to her all the same. Leaving Asuka outside, he walked into his fathers office.

It wasn't like what he had imagined certainly, but he understood now what Asuka had said that he wouldn't need the lighter. Windows lined the side all along the office, letting in sunlight from the outside. Other than that, almost everything else was pitch black. The carpet, the ceiling, even parts of the wall were black. The only thing in the room was a desk set in the middle of it.

Shinji walked over to it and ran his hand over the surface, wondering when last his father had been here. He walked behind and sat down in the chair, looking at everything on the desk. It was remarkably clear of anything except a single piece of paper with what looked like a drawing of an upside down triangle and multiple eyes looking out. Shinji thought about pocketing this briefly, but decided not to.

Setting it back on the table, he tried opening drawers. Most of them were locked except for one that opened. In it was a single photo of a man and a woman. Shinji gazed at this photo for some time until he turned it around and read what was on the back.

"Gendo and Yui," Shinji read aloud.

Shinji decided to pocket it.

Moments later, he left his fathers office and found Asuka sitting down with her head slumped sideways slightly. Shinji didn't think he spent that much time in there, but it seemed Asuka had fallen asleep during that time. Nudging her gently, she slowly woke up.

"I've seen all I wanted," said Shinji.

Rubbing her eyes slowly, Asuka replied, "Okay."

Standing up, she yawned widely and flicked the lighter on, and started leading them back down through the headquarters of Nerv.

As they reached the floor of the Evangelions chamber however, Asuka decided to make a detour.

"Shinji, I think I have one last place I want to stop."

"Okay...what is it?"

"Something...thats rather hard to explain I guess. But it goes hand in hand with my Evangelion I guess. So, I think its best if I go there as well.

"Fine with me," said Shinji with a shrug.

"Okay, and its not far from here either," said Asuka.

Leading them passed the door for the Evangelion chamber which wouldn't open, Asuka led them down several more hallways until they reached something which Shinji didn't expect.

"What is this Asuka?" he asked.

"Where pilots would change into there plug suits of course," said Asuka as if this was fact.

Shinji could only see a male and female sign hanging above the door which had made him instantly think of a bathroom.

Walking into the changing room felt strange, almost as though Shinji was intruding somehow. Asuka with him of course, but he was still remembering that other pilot. Rei was her name he thought Asuka had told him. Though there were many lockers, the only ones that had name tags on them were Asuka's and Rei's.

Shinji watched Asuka as she opened her own locker and looked through at the contents. There wasn't much in there. A few papers for something and three plug suits, all the same that hung in a line.

"So you do like red," said Shinji, trying to make conversation.

Either Asuka didn't hear him or she completely ignored him. She seemed to be gathering herself for something. A mirror hung on the inside door of the locker and Asuka examined her reflection briefly and even seemed to be laughing at it. Shinji knew that he couldn't look much better himself.

Slowly though, Asuka let out a sigh and brought her hand up to her head before she removed the A10 nerve receptors that adorned her hair. The things that she had told Shinji played a significant role in her life, as they signified her position in Nerv, something that she prized above all else. Now though, they were useless in this After Impact world. She slowly placed them in the spot above the plug suits in her locker and then closed if for the final time. Turning around, she started walking away, not looking at Shinji. But he wasn't sure that he could agree with this. Shinji had spoken against them at one point, but that was more because he couldn't understand why she cared about being an Evangelion pilot so much.

"Asuka...is this okay?"

"...It is," she replied. She didn't seem to want to show any frailty.

"Okay," said Shinji, not sure if this was the right thing to say. If he argued enough, she may take them back, but she may get angry at him as well for not siding with her. Either way, Shinji didn't know what he was supposed to say.

Instead he followed her quietly out of the changing room as they began there journey to leave Nerv behind.

* * *

><p>They hadn't realized how much time they had spent walking the hallways of Nerv, because as they got out, they realized that the sun was just beginning to set. Seeing this, Shinji suggested that they sleep in the Geofront tonight, as it beat sleeping on asphalt above the surface. Asuka agreed, though rather halfheartedly.<p>

They set up camp next to the lake, and Shinji made do with what rations they had left. He'd probably have to find more on there way back tomorrow. But again, back to what? In all honesty, there really wasn't much left for them back at that old store they had frequented after the rainstorm. They may as well stay here in the Geofront, but Shinji had a feeling Asuka couldn't agree to that. He himself was having a difficult time being here when he thought about the bloodshed that occurred. The thought of that vision surfaced in his mind, but he pushed it to the side again. Even though he had wanted to see his fathers office, it was eerier then he had imagined.

Setting the sleeping bags next to the fire that Shinji had managed to start with fallen branches around the edges of the forest, Shinji lay down on his own and let his mind wander. What he had seen today was a surprise and he thought about everything that Asuka had told him over the course of the two months or so they had spent together. It was a lot to take it. Everything thing that he had known prior to meeting her was almost completely thrown out to take place by this new world, a world that he may have lived in himself if things hadn't happened the way they had. What would have happened to him then? He would have worked with Asuka and that other pilot, Rei, and they would have fought the angels together. Was it better than what he had before? He didn't know the answer to that, but at least he would have had a purpose at least.

Sitting up, he looked across the fire to where Asuka's sleeping bag was, but saw that she wasn't sitting at it. Instead, she was several feet away, sitting at the edge of the lake. Standing up, he walked over to where she was.

"Whats up?" he asked in what he hoped was an innocent voice.

"Just thinking about stuff," replied Asuka.

Shinji sat down next to her and looked at the lake as well. The last rays of the sun were casting a warm glow on the lake, turning the already orange color even darker.

"We aren't going to stay here, are we?" asked Asuka suddenly.

"No, I don't think so," said Shinji. "I don't think either of us want to stay here."

"Did you find anything in your fathers office?" asked Asuka.

"Yeah," said Shinji.

Digging into his pocket, he pulled out the photo that he had of his mother and father, one of the only pictures he had ever seen of his mother.

"Is that your mother and father when they were young."

"Yeah, I think so."

"Your mother is beautiful," said Asuka.

Shinji wasn't sure how he supposed to reply to that, so he didn't.

"Where will we go after this?" thought Asuka out loud.

"Not sure," said Shinji.

They sat like that for several minutes, until Asuka stood up and turned to Shinji.

"Turn around for a bit Shinji."

"How come?"

"I really don't want to go through this again," sighed Asuka.

Shinji looked at her for several seconds before Asuka snapped, "Alright fine, I'm gonna swim, so just turn around and look the other way."

"Isn't it a little cold out for that?" asked Shinji slightly bemused.

"After looking at my reflection, I feel disgusting," retorted Asuka who seemed to be losing her patience.

"If your just going to be swimming, do I really need to turn around?"

Asuka almost laughed.

"Do you want to see me naked that badly?"

Though it was just teasing, Asuka set a little more than she had intended. This was when Shinji surmised that Asuka wasn't wearing any underwear. When he looked back though, her reactions to certain things made sense. And she had mentioned that the plug suit was a full bodysuit.

Asuka, now who's face was turning a dull shade of pink, looked as though she would force Shinji to turn around if didn't comply, when Shinji finally obeyed her.

'You could have said something earlier if you were uncomfortable,' thought Shinji. He'd have to remember to mention the department store he had gotten there clothes at when they left the Geofront.

"And if you turn around to look-" started Asuka.

"I've heard this enough to know what you'll already say, so just hurry up and swim."

Shinji could almost feel Asuka's eyes boring into his back, but instead, he started hearing the shuffling of clothes as she removed them.

They had both brought their sweatshirts, so Asuka pulled this off first and then removed her shirt, watching Shinji as she did this. She didn't honestly expect him to turn around, but she figured it was better to be safe.

After removing her pants, she waded slowly into the watery LCL fluid, shivering as it touched her body. Though she had told Shinji she wanted to swim, she really just wanted to cleanse herself. LCL fluid wasn't the best for this, but it did the job at least. She washed her hair as best she could without shampoo, and then floated there for a while, letting the water lap at the side of her body. As she looked up, she saw the giant hole in the Geofront. Everything had happened so suddenly that she wasn't sure what to think anymore. One minute she was an Evangelion pilot, and the next second, she was nobody. It was rather depressing, but she had made her decision when she had left the A10 nerve receptors behind.

Rolling over in the LCL fluid, she dove downwards, kicking against the water, as she swam forward before surfacing again. It was rather refreshing to be doing this.

After several more minutes of this, she swam back to the shore. She had completely forgotten about Shinji during her time in the water, but he didn't seem to have moved much. He had only gotten closer to the fire, which was okay in her mind.

As Shinji heard her footsteps leaving the water, he asked, "Are you done yet?"

"With swimming, yes. With changing, no. So stay turned around."

'Demanding today, aren't we,' thought Shinji, but he continued to stay turned around.

After much shuffling of clothes, Asuka finally gave him the go ahead to turn around. She had her pant legs rolled up almost to her knees, and she was trying to dry her hair out by using her sweatshirt as a towel. She then ran her hand through her hair to straighten it out as best she could. The shirt she was wearing however could be easily seen that darker spots were forming where the water was dripping. Shinji thought he even saw something else, but he tried to forget about this.

"You look different," he suddenly said.

Asuka paused as she was drying her hair and asked, "Oh? In what way?"

"Not really sure," said Shinji honestly. "Your hair seems a little longer I guess, but other than that..."

"The nerve receptors held my hair up a little, so thats maybe why. It is getting a little long though," she said a she held a strand of her hair in front of her face.

"Looks fine to me," said Shinji offhandedly.

"Oh?" mumbled Asuka. She didn't say anything other than that however.

Moving out of her way, Shinji walked around the other side of the fire to his sleeping bag and sat down. Asuka did the same across from him.

"How do you feel?" asked Shinji

"After swimming. A lot better."

"I didn't mean that...you said before that those things you wore in your head meant a lot to you, more then I could understand. Why did you leave them behind?"

"It was time for me to move on." said Asuka after a short pause.

"Is that okay though?"

"You already asked me that Shinji, and I told you, its fine. The past is just that, the past. Everything before now doesn't matter. Whatever I was before now, it doesn't matter."

"Yes it does," said Shinji rather adamantly. "It does matter, because it is still a part of your life, even if that life is in the past. While I don't have a problem with you leaving those A10 things at Nerv, I don't think you should completely forget about your past at Nerv. Everybody that you met at Nerv, they were important people."

"And you're one to lecture me about ignoring my past?"

"I'm not a good example, true, but its not just that. Its too sad to see you ignore everything about your prior life. Now is the most important certainly, but don't throw everything away before now either, because thats what has made you who you are in the present."

Shinji calmly finished, leaving Asuka rather silent. He hoped that she wouldn't see his worry as pity, but as something more caring. He cared about her, and maybe that was partially for himself, but he still did.

"You say to much," said Asuka eventually.

"Asuka-" started Shinji.

"No...forget it Shinji. I've heard enough for one day."

After that, Asuka turned around, facing away from him and tried to fall asleep.

'She just doesn't want to face the truth,' thought Shinji as he looked at her back. Though as she had said, he wasn't one to talk.

Laying down, Shinji tried to force himself to fall asleep, but it was a long while before he finally managed. Meanwhile, across the fire from him, Asuka was having an equally hard time. Shinji spoke more of the truth than what Asuka had wanted to acknowledge herself. She couldn't fault him for that, as she knew by now that he usually spoke whatever was on his mind.

A lot had changed for Asuka since she had woken up with a stranger sitting next to her. Though she had to admit, she wasn't sure where she'd be if not for Shinji. The thought of that puzzled her for a brief instance, but she ignored it for now. The last thing she needed was for Shinji to hear her say something like that.

Rolling into a more comfortable position, Asuka fell asleep dreaming that she was back inside the comfort of Evangelion Unit 02, but for some reason Unit 01 was there with her.

* * *

><p><strong>So I had a lot of fun working on this chapter, largely because we get to see Nerv again, though in very minuscule detail. And of course Shinji's visions are starting to come back again, so expect more with that in the future.<strong>

**On another note, the birthday themed story that I mentioned during the previous chapter, the first chapter for that will be coming out on the first of march (so friday, I got a lot of work ahead of me) and go all the way to the tenth. It will be mature and expect chapters daily. Tentative story title is Birthday Without Surprises, though that could still possibly change.**


	8. Forward

**...And I'm Back! Wow what a wait. Sorry about that everybody. So I guess I should address a few things. Obviously I'm still writing with this chapter coming out and all, and I do plan on working on Birthday Without Surprises in the future (not sure when though). Right now I'm working on my own career outside of fanfiction, so that takes precedence and the reason that I've been absent for so long. I'm sure we'll see more chapters to come though this summer, so look forward to that.**

* * *

><p>The sun was high in the sky when Shinji first woke up that next day. Taking several seconds to look around at his surroundings, he remembered the journey which had taken them here, to Nerv. Looking over at Asuka, he saw that she was still sleeping peacefully in her sleeping bag. Shinji watched her peaceful face for several seconds, surprised at how cute she seemed. Of course, that would all disappear the moment she woke up, and Shinji didn't feel like waking her right now.<p>

Rolling out of his sleeping bag, Shinji stood up and walked to the edge of the lake that they had decided to sleep beside. He looked up towards the gaping hole in the Geofront, shielding his eyes from the sun as he did so. He wanted to think, think about what they were going to do next. No matter where they went, he didn't find it possible to meet any other humans around, that seemed a given right now. Instead, simply surviving seemed the only current thing left for them to do. But even that seemed almost pointless.

'I need to clear my mind,' thought Shinji.

Stripping down to his underwear, Shinji waded out into the water just as Asuka had done the previous night and started treading water. He didn't do this as a means to get clean though, he just wanted to forget about things for a while. Everything he had seen at Nerv was weighing on his mind.

Swimming further out into the lake, Shinji was surprised that he didn't have any problems maintaing his stamina. The few times that he had swam in his life he had never been very fast and found that he tired out easily.

'Again with this?' thought Shinji as he paused in mid-stroke, floating there in the water.

He had noticed things like this recently, but hadn't wondered about it much. When he had all but ran back to the beach to find Asuka near death, he had hardly bothered to rest. He almost found that he didn't even have to. Then there was his many walks through Tokyo-3 looking for supplies. Not once did he feel tired, or have to catch his breath. It was a strange feeling certainly, one that he wasn't used to.

Why didn't his stamina run out? It wasn't as though he was athletic, and Asuka certainly seemed more able then he was, yet he didn't have any problems.

Was it possible that because of Third Impact, something within him changed?

'Thats stupid,' he told himself. 'I'm just purposefully applying myself is all now.'

'What was that vision then?' asked a voice from the far corners of his mind.

He had tried blocking that out, tried to the best of his ability, but it surfaced again. Whatever he told himself, you couldn't have called that normal. It was almost like he was really there, almost as though he was able to smell the blood. Everything flashed by so quickly though that he wasn't able to make anything out. And then there had been something else, a voice it seemed like. But that had simply been Asuka's voice calling him back to reality.

It didn't make any sense, and he was afraid of telling this vision to Asuka, in the fear that she would question his sanity. He certainly felt like he was questioning it himself.

Was it possible that he could see something like that again though? It seemed like the catalyst had been the dried blood that he had passed over as he crawled into the vent, but there had been plenty more blood besides just that spot. It had to have been something else then.

Shinji lay there floating in the water, looking up towards the sky as he tried thinking about this, but he just started to get more confused. No matter what, he couldn't think of anything else. He even tried conjuring up images of that spot in his mind, hoping that it might trigger something, but again nothing happened. It was then that he heard a loud shout coming from the shoreline.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WAY OUT THERE IDIOT?"

Shinji spluttered as he heard a shout from the shore, and for a second, he swallowed a large amount of water as he tried to gain his wits again. Realizing that he had drifted out farther from the shore than he had intended, Shinji saw that Asuka was awake and standing on the shore, yelling at him.

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU WAY OUT THERE?"

"I wish she would have stayed asleep," mumbled Shinji. As he said this, he remembered her peaceful face from earlier, but shook this thought away. It was best to not be thinking that when he encountered an angry Asuka.

Without bothering to reply, Shinji started to swim back to the shoreline, taking as much time as he pleased. As Asuka slowly started coming into view though, he saw that her hair seemed to be crackling with electricity. She was not pleased.

"What were you doing out there idiot!?" she said as they came within earshot of each other that didn't require shouting.

"Swimming obviously," said Shinji as he felt his feet hit solid ground.

"What if you had drowned you damn idiot!?"

"What would you have done if I had?" asked Shinji.

"What would I have done? I couldn't have done anything you fucking moron! Do you have any idea how long it would take me to-"

Asuka froze mid sentence though as Shinji's body started to emerge out of the water. It was at this point that she held her hand up and nearly shouted-

"Stop there!"

"What?" said Shinji as he almost tripped over his own feet in surprise.

Asuka's face turned maroon as she stumbled over her next question.

"A-Are you wearing...a-anything?"

Shinji paused as she said this, unsure how he was supposed to reply.

"...Underwear..." he said eventually, feeling his own face start to redden.

They stood like that for a while, Shinji half submerged in the water, and Asuka standing at the edge of the water.

"Am I allowed to get out, or do I need permission?" asked Shinji.

"Do whatever you please," said Asuka as she whipped around, but she still didn't budge from her spot. It seemed that she hadn't finished berating Shinji.

Walking out of the water, Shinji grabbed his clothes which were only several steps beside Asuka and started dressing herself.

"So why were you out in the middle of the lake?" asked Asuka again.

"Thinking," said Shinji, "Or trying not to, and then I eventually did anyway."

"Still, you didn't have to go all the way out there."

"I didn't realize how far away I was."

"I'm amazed that you were even able to make it back."

'And I'm still not tired,' thought Shinji as he buttoned his pants.

"So...what are we going to do now...or wasn't that what you were thinking out there for?" asked Asuka.

"Surviving seems to be the only thing we can do right now honestly."

"Thats obvious," scoffed Asuka. "And can I turn around now?"

"Yeah, its fine," said Shinji.

Though apparently to Asuka, it wasn't.

Shinji was in the process of button his shirt, the sleeves rolled up as he did, exposing his chest and stomach for Asuka.

"I thought you said it was safe!" she said just as she turned around away from him, her face bright red. She longed to hit him, but she couldn't bear to be embarrassed again. Something had caught her eye as she had turned around however, something which had surprised her slightly.

Turning her head slowly around, she glanced at Shinji who was busy buttoning the last of his buttons. Focusing her gaze though, she saw what had initially caught her eye. Without saying anything, she forcefully grabbed one of Shinji's arms and tugged him towards her.

"Asuka what are you-"

Asuka looked at Shinji's arm almost gazing at it before she directed her eyes back to him.

"Those scars," she mumbled.

Shinji looked back at her puzzled, oblivious of how close there faces where.

"What scars?" he asked.

Asuka blinked back at him, amazed that he couldn't have noticed, or did he not want to remember. Was it something that had happened to him when he had been a kid?

"These," said Asuka as she held his arm in front of her face. "You're telling me you never noticed them before?"

Shinji looked at them, surprised that she was right. He had never noticed, probably because it had been his own arm, but there were definitely white scars adorning his arm, some of which were rather large. But he couldn't ever remember something like that happening.

"Don't tell me you somehow got these and simply ignored telling me about them."

"When would I have gotten them?"

"I don't know...during your travels into the city or...when you left," mumbled Asuka.

Shinji didn't need reminding of this, as he felt like shit every time it was brought up.

"No, I would have come back dripping in blood if that were true," said Shinji.

"I guess you have a point," replied Asuka. "Where then...when you were a kid?"

"Nothing that I can remember," said Shinji as he shook his head, "And anyways, why are you so interested?"

"I," started Asuka, but she wasn't sure how to finish her sentence.

"Just that...you don't seem like the kind of person that would have scars."

Letting go of Shinji's hand, Asuka took a step away from him and said, "Sorry...but those scars...they looked painful...so I wasn't sure if...you had been through something and just didn't tell me.

"I don't even know where they came from myself," said Shinji as he unrolled his sleeves. Seeing that Asuka was still looking kinda remorseful, Shinji sighed and said, "Don't let it bother you. I can't even remember it. Maybe it was something that happened during the time between Third Impact and when I awoke. Either way it doesn't really matter."

Though he said this to Asuka in hopes that it would calm her down, he did wonder about the scars. Looking down at his arm, it was easy to tell that they weren't normal by any means. Judging by the sheer size of them, it looked as though his arm should have been cut off.

"Hungry?" asked Shinji, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"What do you think?" replied Asuka as she started walking towards their makeshift camp.

Shinji followed her, trying to ignore the scars for now and started pulling out the remaining cans of food that they had. Putting together a meager breakfast, they ate it on there respective sleeping bags. Finishing, Shinji placed the pot beside him and looked into the fire he had lit for breakfast.

"Now what?" he asked as he looked over in Asuka's direction.

She was laying down on her sleeping bag and looked up towards the Geofront, her eyes closed. Taking several seconds to reply, she eventually turned towards him and said-

"For now, we should just leave the Geofront I suppose. Afterwards though...well, we can worry about that later I suppose."

Standing up, she started rolling up her sleeping bag and placed it in her backpack. Shinji did likewise, packing everything that he had brought in his own.

"Ready?" asked Asuka.

Shinji nodded, taking one last look at the Geofront before they left.

* * *

><p>They didn't talk much as they made there way to the surface. Briefly, they had to coordinate as they reached the ladder with the missing bars at the bottom. Asuka took several minutes until she decided on what to do, and when she turned towards Shinji, he could tell that she was already rethinking her decision. It seemed to be the only option though.<p>

Asuka herself could take a running start at the wall and jump the rest of the way up to grab onto the nearest bar, but the problem was Shinji. Setting aside her pack for now, Asuka walked over to the wall and stood against the wall with her back pressed against it, her hands held out in front of her and entwined together.

"I really don't want anything to happen, so don't fuck this up," she said.

"Right," said Shinji.

Placing his foot into Asuka's entwined hands, she boosted him up, allowing him to grab onto the bar and pull himself the rest of the way up. Throwing her pack up towards him now, Shinji caught it and climbed up several feet, giving Asuka enough room to go behind him. Looking down, he lit the lighter, giving Asuka enough light to see what she was doing. In a flash, he saw her run at the wall, and jump, pressing her foot against the wall springing upwards, almost like a trampoline. She grabbed onto the bottom most bar and pulled herself upward.

"Why do you look so surprised?" asked Asuka as she looked up at him.

Shinji had his mouth open apparently, surprised that she could do something like that in one go.

"Do I really need to say?"

"Forget it," said Asuka, "just pass down my pack and get moving. I'm sick of this darkness already."

Shinji did so, and then started climbing to the surface. The journey upwards was quicker than before, and Shinji and Asuka found themselves reaching the surface before long. Leaving the shop where the entrance to the Geofront was, they walked into the sunlight and set their packs down, taking a break.

Asuka leaned against the side of the building where the shade was plentiful. Shinji however was standing in the middle of the road and looking towards the hills of Tokyo-3. The city didn't have much to offer them except food and water, and even that had its limits he supposed. Whether they liked it or not, he felt that eventually they would be forced to leave the city behind. Where would they go though?

"Hey Asuka?" Shinji asked.

"What is it?"

"How would you feel about leaving Tokyo-3?"

Asuka who had been midway to taking a sip out of her bottle, lowered it from her lips and looked over at Shinji.

"Yes...it does seem to make the most sense."

"So you were thinking that as well?"

"Sorta," said Asuka as she shrugged. "Staying here doesn't do anything for me, and I'm sick of it here honestly. Do you have an idea though?"

"I was thinking Tokyo-2 for now, just wondering if the damage was as bad there as it is here."

"Third Impact originated here," said Asuka, "but I don't think any city is entirely safe either. Its worth a shot I suppose. Do you know how to get there though, because I wasn't here long before all this don't forget."

"I was in Tokyo-2 before I came here, I rode by taxi, so I think I should be able to figure out the route well enough. Without a car though, walking could take a while. You don't happen to know how to drive, do you?"

"How hard could it be? I was an Evangelion pilot after all." said Asuka.

Shinji didn't miss the hint of superiority in her voice as Asuka said this.

"Then hopefully there won't be a problem, though first we should stock up on supplies."

"Do you know of any place close by?"

"On our way here, I think I saw a shopping center of some kind."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you were in such a hurry. Afterwards we should get more clothes as well I think. I can't imagine you're happy sleeping and living in the same clothes every day, and I could use a change as well."

Shinji hoped that Asuka would get some underwear as well, and the look she was even giving him seemed to suggest that she was remembering the incident from yesterday.

"Okay...clothes as well, but we aren't going to be able to carry all this stuff with just our backpacks."

"Which is why we should try to find a car soon. Any that has the keys in the ignition will be fine."

"Alright," replied Asuka.

For once, Shinji felt like he had a goal in mind for the first in a while. It was something that he could work for, that they could work towards. It was better than wandering around Tokyo-3 at least.

Picking up their packs, Shinji started back tracking the way they had gone, looking for the store they had passed yesterday. It didn't stand out by any means, but Shinji remembered that it seemed like a small shopping center. They checked each of the cars that they passed on there way, but with no luck. Sometimes they were lucky to even find a car that hadn't been crushed by fallen debris.

Just when Shinji was starting to second guess his decision about which direction the shopping center was in, he rounded the block and spotted it.

"Over here Asuka!" he shouted as he turned to look at her.

Asuka was walking several yards behind him. The heat was getting to her it seemed.

"About fucking time," she said as she matched step with him and looked towards the shopping center.

It wasn't large like some of the malls that used to litter Tokyo-3, but it would provide them with enough supplies for a while.

"Lets find what food we can first I suppose," said Shinji as he started forward.

"More canned food I'm guessing," sighed Asuka.

"Not like we have much choice," shrugged Shinji.

There were several different stores in this shopping center, some of which were utterly useless to Shinji and Asuka. At least it had a grocery store.

The glass was already broken at the front, so they only had to step around the broken glass, being careful not to cut themselves. The stench hit them first, and it was so powerful that Shinji felt like he may puke. Looking sideways at Asuka, he saw that she had her sleeve covering her noes; he did likewise. It was more than a month since the meat and produce had rotted away, but the smell was still lingering.

Walking down the canned food isle, Shinji started grabbing stuff he knew wouldn't be difficult to cook with. Asuka was mostly silent as she walked beside him, trying to ignore the overpowering smell that was permeating through the store. Occasionally, she voiced her opinion when Shinji asked for it, but she typically just assumed Shinji knew what he was doing. She had respect for him as far as cooking went at least.

Along with the food Shinji selected, he managed to acquire a dozen utensils, a wider selection of pots and pans, and several plastic plates.

As they were about to leave though, Shinji took a detour and went down another isle.

"What do you want here?" asked Asuka as she looked up at a sign hanging above the isle.

"Just a couple things to improve the taste," said Shinji as he reached for salt and pepper on one shelf.

'I almost wish I could have had him cook with proper ingredients,' thought Asuka briefly.

Along with the salt and pepper, Shinji grabbed several bags of tea, sugar, garlic powder, and thankfully, soy sauce.

"Happy now?" asked Asuka.

"Truthfully...no," said Shinji as he looked around the store. "I'd prefer it if I had a few onions and other peppers. With what I have though, I should be able to make curry well enough."

"Can't say I'm a fan of Japanese food," said Asuka. "Now German food..."

Asuka left her sentence hanging, making Shinji believe she was remembering her times in Germany.

"This should last us a while at least," said Shinji as he took one last look around the store. "Enough to get to Tokyo-2."

"What next then?" asked Asuka as she followed Shinji out of the store.

"The department store I went to before, though we should still look out for any cars."

Giving that the department store was several miles away Shinji was wondering if he wouldn't find it until nightfall. Thankfully though, Asuka seemed to be in a better mood since they had left the grocery store, and she seemed more willing to talk now. She told Shinji a little about her time in Germany, what it was like to go to college at such a young age, how she had felt when she learned she had been chosen as an Evangelion pilot. Shinji kept his silence most of the time, nodding at intervals between her sentences, but mostly, he just listened to her. He found that he was doing this more often than not.

Later though, they both lapsed into silence as Asuka had run out of things to talk about. Shinji somewhat felt that she had been talking just to ease her mind, as the idea of leaving Tokyo-3 was still very fresh in their mind. What if people showed up the day after they had left? Where they doing the right thing? Shinji wasn't entirely sure about that, but he didn't want to stay here forever either.

The sun was starting to set just as they crossed the parking lot towards the department store. Shinji wasn't sure how long they would be inside, but he didn't think they'd be making it very far tonight...and they still hadn't found a car.

Stepping inside the store Shinji flicked the lighter on, wishing that he had something brighter than the flickering light waving back and forth.

"Lets finish this while we still have a little bit of sunlight left," said Shinji as he started walking around, looking for anything that would fit him.

"Hurry if you want to, but I'm going to take my time," said Asuka.

"Asuka, we can go back in tomorrow morning if we need to."

"Do whatever you want, but I'm going to enjoy this while I can. And this is not up for debate Shinji," said Asuka as she walked passed him towards woman's section.

'Stubborn as usual,' thought Shinji as he watched her back disappear into some dark aisle.

* * *

><p>Shinji didn't spend long in the mens section, and found it difficult to find stuff that was even his size. He was able to get several jeans, a couple of t-shirts and one long sleeve shirt. His shoes he replaced with new ones, knowing that his current ones should have been thrown away long ago. He stocked up on socks and underwear, and even grabbed himself a jacket.<p>

Stuffing everything into his backpack, he hoisted it onto his shoulders. Walking towards the entrance where Asuka and himself had parted, he looked around, hoping that he would see her around somewhere.

"Not ready yet...huh..." mumbled Shinji. But he should have figured, since Asuka had said she was going to take as much time as was needed.

Deciding that he may as well look for her, Shinji walked towards the woman's department, passing all sorts of strange getups. As he ventured further though, Shinji started to notice where Asuka had picked the clothes clean. Some clothes were strewn across the floor, their hangers left beside them, looking as though they had been tried on and then flung to the side. Shinji couldn't help but smile, only imagining Asuka's reaction when she had been unsatisfied.

He passed more clothes that were left on the floor, almost following a path of sorts, that would lead him to Asuka. As he rounded a corner though, he had to pause as he had entered a rather embarrassing section. Rows upon rows of different colored underwear invaded Shinji's eyes, causing him to blink several times. It wasn't until he heard a voice though that he realized how screwed he was.

"...do they really have nothing smaller than this?" mumbled Asuka from amongst the lingerie section. She was holding up a pure white bra and looking at the size, and then she looked down at her own chest. Even though Shinji's view was partially obstructed by the many different colors, he could still make out Asuka's expression as she looked down at herself. She was frowning slightly.

After several seconds though, Asuka shrugged her shoulders and turned around so that her back was now facing Shinji. She pulled off the sweatshirt she was wearing and threw it to the ground, and did the same with her shirt. Her bare back was now facing Shinji. Taking the white bra, she clasped the latch behind her back and cupped it, holding it to her breasts, hoping that it wouldn't slide off. Removing her hands slowly, it seemed that it would hold, and she let out a sigh.

"...Alright...now for-" she said this as she turned around, but that was when she spotted Shinji.

They both stood still for several seconds, Asuka with her mouth slightly agape in surprise, and Shinji who was waiting for the hammer to fall.

"How long have you been standing there?" Asuka was eventually able to say. She was shaking with anger, and her face was crimson. It had been a long time since Shinji had seen her this pissed.

"Um...I..." Shinji started.

"Leave...now, before I fucking killing you," snarled Asuka. She looked about ready to strangle him.

"Right...sorry," mumbled Shinji who was blushing now as well. Without another word, Shinji turned around, and walked in the direction he had come from.

Asuka waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore before she grabbed her t-shirt and sweatshirt, pulling them both over her head.

"Stupid idiot," groaned Asuka. She really hoped that he hadn't seen the entirety of what had taken place, but she wasn't about to ask him either. Grabbing the underwear that she had chosen, she made her way to the back of the woman's section and entered a changing room, being sure to lock it. She couldn't make a stupid mistake like that again.

Darkness had long set in before Asuka returned to the front of the store, and she was surprised to see that Shinji wasn't waiting for her. Looking out towards the parking lot though, she could see a small flicker of flame flashing on and then off. Walking towards it, she found Shinji laying on his sleeping bag and looking up at the night sky with the lighter in his hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked him. Her voice still held anger.

"Waiting for you of course," said Shinji as he looked up at her. "You took too long."

"Who's fault do you think that partially is?" asked Asuka as she crossed her arms.

"I said I was sorry."

"Like thats ever going to be good enough," said Asuka as she passed him. 'You saw me practically naked afterall.' she thought later.

Sitting down across from him, she then asked, "So, all we need is the car and we should be fine."

"While I was waiting for you, I walked ahead looking for one."

"Let me guess...nothing?"

"Correct."

"Is it even possible to find one?" wondered Asuka as she lay down on her own sleeping bag.

"Well somewhere in this city there should be."

"Yeah, but finding that one car is going to be a problem," said Asuka. Turning towards Shinji she said, "Hey, should we even be doing this? Leaving...and all. I know that it seems like the right decision, and I guess that we have a better chance finding other people if we start moving, but what if we we're supposed to stay here?"

"What do you mean?" asked Shinji.

"Tokyo-3 is where Third Impact originated, yet we're the only ones here. Maybe there's a reason for that."

"Or maybe we were just lucky," shrugged Shinji.

"...Maybe," said Asuka after a seconds pause.

Shinji watched what he could of her expression change in the darkness of the night. What exactly was she thinking?

"I suppose we should just worry about the car then I guess," Asuka eventually said, alleviating the silence.

Now turning away from Shinji, she tried going to sleep, but found it difficult. She didn't like Tokyo-3 very much, but for a very short time, it had almost seemed like home to her. At least she had felt that she was respected while here. Now though, with it just being her and Shinji, there wasn't much of that respect left. Sure, she supposed that Shinji respected her within his own rights; what he was able to understand and grasp. But it was different compared to when she had been an Evangelion pilot.

Nothing was the same as it once was, or could ever return to that way.

* * *

><p>For the first time in a while, Asuka was the first to wake up.<p>

She stretched as she sat up, letting the sleeping bag fall around her. She shivered slightly as a morning breeze blew across her face, making her hair dance briefly. Looking over at Shinji, she had to stifle a laugh as she saw his sleeping face poking out. She had a sudden urge to go over to him and hold his nose close, watching him inflate like a balloon.

"Where did that childish thought come from?" wondered Asuka aloud. "I swear, his stupidity is starting to rub off on me."

Standing up, she walked several paces away from where Shinji was still sleeping and looked around at where they had made camp. From here, Asuka could see what remained of the tall skyscrapers that had once littered Tokyo-3. There certainly wasn't much left.

Hearing a noise behind her, Asuka turned, only to see that Shinji was simply shifting position in his sleeping bag. She watched him for several more seconds before she decided she may as well do something if she was awake this early.

Walking over to Shinji's side, she bent down in front of his backpack and slowly unzipped it, watching his face incase his eyes opened. She withdrew several things, glad that Shinji didn't keep the lighter on his person.

Gathering everything in a small circle away from where the sleeping bags were, she stood up and started looking around for any wood she could find. Thankfully, the corners of the street had newly planted trees in them, or what was left of them. The tree itself was little more than a single twig sticking up from the ground.

Yanking it free, Asuka snapped it into several pieces and dragged it over to where she planned on building a fire. Stacking the sticks together, she flicked the lighter on several times until the flame caught. Now kneeling next to the fire she looked at the things she had pulled out of Shinji's backpack. Thankfully they had stocked up on as much water as possible, and even if she went through a bottle, there was plenty more back at the grocery store.

It wasn't exactly the way that she would have preferred making it, since she usually created it from scratch, but a mix would have to do.

'If only I had some blueberries or a banana,' thought Asuka.

This would have to do though, she supposed.

It was still another forty-five minutes before everything was ready. Feeling slightly odd about there places being switched, Asuka walked to where Shinji lay, and nudged him gently.

"Hey...I-" Asuka caught herself however, as she was about to call him an idiot once again. Biting her lip, and still not completely understanding why she was doing something like this, she tried again.

"Hey...Shinji..." she said as she moved his shoulder slightly. He turned in his sleep, obviously dreaming still. Asuka felt herself growing angry slightly.

"Wake up already...I made breakfast," she said as she nudged him more forcefully.

Shinji mumbled something in his sleep this time and turned towards Asuka so that there faces were a mere inches apart. Backing away quickly, she felt her face suddenly heat up, knowing that she probably looked like an over ripened strawberry by now.

"If you don't wake up I swear I'm going to kick you awake," Asuka said much more loudly.

"Is that so?" mumbled Shinji from his sleeping bag.

Asuka felt herself blush even more furiously then, unaware that he had been awake for a while now apparently.

"You...damn idiot," Asuka groaned.

Shinji opened one eye and looked at Asuka who was still several feet from him. Call him a fool, but he saw ample reason to tease her after she had done that so many times to him already. Asuka didn't seemed amused by this though.

Making good on her word, she stood up and quickly walked over to Shinji, planting her foot into his chest and rolling him over.

"Even after I went to all the trouble of making breakfast, you just had to go and act like an ass."

"You made breakfast?" asked Shinji, clearly surprised by this, ignoring the fact that Asuka had just kicked him. Though it hadn't been very rough.

"What? Did you not hear me the first time?"

"I was sleeping."

"Liar," said Asuka with a slight sneer.

Sitting up, Shinji looked over to where Asuka had created a fire. He saw that there was in fact a pan hanging in front of the fire.

"...I'm surprised," mumbled Shinji. "I thought you said you wouldn't ever cook even though you knew how?"

"I said it was unlikely," said Asuka as she stood up and walked over to the fire. Removing the pan from over the fire, she grabbed one of the new plastic plates and turned the pan upside down over it. What could only be described as a pancake flopped down upon it.

Shinji watched her as she did all this, a puzzled expression plastered on his face.

Bringing the plate over to him, Asuka thrust it into his hands and said, "Here take it."

Shinji hesitated, unsure that this was right as Asuka had done the cooking in this case.

"Shouldn't you be the one that eats first considering you made this?"

"Normally I wouldn't even offer you anything...though since you usually let me eat first and...oh, just shut up and take it Shinji," finished Asuka, somewhat angrily. Storming back to the fire, she sat down next to it and started preparing her own.

Shinji had difficulty holding back a smile as he watched Asuka grumbling to herself. Ignoring the fact that they had recently acquired a larger selection of silverware, Shinji bit directly into the pancake. It was fluffy to say the least, and still warm being fresh from the fire.

"Well...how is it?" came a quiet voice from near the fire.

Shinji looked over and saw that Asuka was turned towards him, her face somewhat passive.

Shinji wasn't sure how he was exactly supposed to reply to that. How difficult was it to screw up making pancakes anyway? Even so, he figured he should compliment her since that was what she seemed to be looking for.

"It's good, really good."

"Hmph," snorted Asuka as she turned back to the fire. "You don't have to tell me that."

She said this, but Shinji noticed that the corners of her mouth were pulled upwards ever so slightly.

After Asuka had made her own portion as well and eaten, they packed everything up, stamped out the fire, and starting searching for the last thing they needed. They talked occasionally as they walked, but the sun was high in the sky now, and Shinji didn't think that Asuka was enjoying the sudden spike in temperature. As usual, he was fine himself.

How was it that they weren't able to find a single damn car that had the keys in the ignition. Did everybody vanish without a trace along with their keys? Even if they did find a car, there was still no guarantee that it would start. Then there was the many that had been crushed by some random debris.

Even Shinji was starting to get annoyed by this road block they had faced. Walking was fine with him, but Asuka had started to complain loudly about it.

"I'm taking a break," said Asuka as she suddenly stopped in the middle of the street.

Shinji couldn't really blame her since he was frustrated as well. He still decided to continue forward.

"Alright, I'm gonna continue forward though. I'll come back in twenty minutes or so."

"Take as long as you like," said Asuka as she slid down into the shade of a building and opened a bottle of water.

Shinji nodded, and started walking out into the distance.

Asuka watched him until he rounded a corner and disappeared from her sight. She couldn't believe that he could continue going forward even in this heat. Granted, he must have been used to it, growing up in Japan all his life, but it was too much for Asuka who hadn't been here very long. Then again, it was also possible that Third Impact had changed the earth's climate somehow.

Even more than that though, Shinji surprised Asuka sometimes. He was a wimp, meek, and an idiot. But Asuka was surprised at how resilient he could be at times. The fact that he had walked some 50 plus miles in the span of two days...that was difficult for her to comprehend. Not just that, but that he seemed able to walk an indefinite amount of distance without tiring. Was he simply stupid or stubborn?

She hated remembering how much he had done for her in the short time that they had known each other, but it wasn't exactly something she could forget either. No matter what she told herself, her and Shinji were in this together, and there wasn't anyway getting around that.

'Hey may be a complete idiot, but he can be reliable at times.'

"Asuka?"

"Ehhh!?"

Asuka jumped, startled by the sudden reappearance of the person she had just been thinking about.

Shinji stood in front of her, looking down at the girl who seemed to have been spacing out moments ago.

"You okay, you're eyes were glazed over and-"

"Shut up you idiot," said Asuka as she stood up and started shaking Shinji roughly. Her face was a dull shade of pink.

"Asu-ka you're hurt-ing me," gasped Shinji.

Pushing him away, Asuka grabbed her backpack and stomped out from under the shade of the building. She had forgotten briefly about the sun, which was now beating down on her face again.

"Arghhh! When the hell are we going to get out of here!?" shouted Asuka.

"Actually, about that," said Shinji as he walked up and stood by Asuka.

"What," she asked as she rounded on him.

"I think I found a car."

"You did? Seriously?" asked Asuka. She could have almost hugged him.

"Yeah," said Shinji as he scratched his cheek. "Though there is a bit of a problem with that..."

* * *

><p>Shinji led Asuka to where he had found the car; a station wagon parked next to a building that looked like a bomb had exploded inside it.<p>

"So whats the problem then?" asked Asuka as Shinji pointed the car out to her. "It seems fine to me, but don't tell me it has a flat or something."

"No, nothing like that but...it's a manual...I think."

"You think? Oh forget it, you're useless. Let me see."

Pushing past Shinji, Asuka climbed into the driver side seat and sat down. The car was in better condition then she had expected, even all the windows were fine. Looking behind the seat, she saw that there were two suitcases stacked on top of each other. Plenty of room though for stuff of their own.

Turning her attention back to the front of the car though, she saw what Shinji had meant. Certainly, it was a manual transmission. Asuka had never driven a car before, though she knew the basics like gas, brake, steering and what not. Manual was something that was more challenging though. She wasn't about to give up however.

"Well?" asked Shinji.

"It is a manual."

"So what now? Should we search for another or-"

"And how long would that take?" asked Asuka. "Another three days? No, I want to get out of here. Besides, this has plenty of room in the back."

"Do you expect me to drive it?" asked Shinji.

"No I don't, and I never did. I'm going to be driving."

This statement shocked Shinji. First breakfast and now this? What had happened to the selfish, unhelpful Asuka he had been used to?

"You serious about this?" asked Shinji.

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out by tomorrow."

Shinji wasn't sure how to react to this promise, so he just let her do as she pleased.

Shinji made dinner that night, while Asuka spent most of her time sitting in the car. She had figured how to get it started by turning the ignition and pressing down on the clutch, but after that she seemed to have gotten lost. Shinji could occasionally hear her curses of anger or bangs as she hit the steering wheel.

Starting to find it annoying however, Shinji stood up and almost had to drag her out of the car to get her to eat. Afterwards, she went right back to trying to get it to move.

He wasn't sure when, but at some point during the night, he had fallen asleep. Waking up, Shinji first noticed that the car had moved slightly from its previous position. It was further along the road now then it had been.

Walking over to it, Shinji saw that Asuka was sitting upright in the car and looking at the steering wheel.

"Figure it out yet?"

"I think so," said Asuka, seemingly half asleep. "Every time I shift gears, I have to press down on the clutch, but if I do it to suddenly, the car stalls. Also, if my speed gets above a certain point I have to shift as well. Putting it to practical use is going to take some time, though I guess we have plenty of that. On the plus, the gas tank is full so we don't have to worry about that for a while."

Asuka yawned widely here and slouched backwards in her seat.

"Now as long as I don't crash, everything should be fine."

"Don't joke about that."

"Well...I'm not really joking, since I am worried about that."

"You need to sleep," said Shinji.

"That probably would be best," yawned Asuka as she stepped out of the car and closed the door. She stumbled slightly as she did this, but Shinji caught her. Not realizing how close they were, they both looked back each other for a few seconds before Asuka lowered her gaze.

"Thanks," she said as she broke free of Shinji's grasp and walked towards her sleeping bag, almost falling asleep immediately.

Even though she was the one who had thanked him, Shinji felt it should have been himself who was saying thanks instead.

* * *

><p>They left late that morning, after Asuka had gotten up and eaten breakfast. She still seemed to be tired from last night, but determined to leave all the same. They packed everything in the car and climbed into the driver and passenger seats respectively. Asuka started it but took several seconds before she put it in gear. She moved slowly, not wanting to shift to anything higher than second. It made sense considering how much debris they had to drive around.<p>

She concentrated for the first half hour, but after she got the feel of it, she started to relax. Shinji was impressed by how easily Asuka had grasped the concepts of a manual transmission. It hadn't even taken her a full night, and she was already used to it.

They had to take several detours, avoiding entire sections of road which had buildings collapsed upon them. Since Shinji was navigating though, this wasn't much of a problem. He had already memorized much of the cities streets.

As the road towards Tokyo-2 started to get closer though, and Asuka more and more started to get the feel for driving, Shinji decided to ask her something.

"Um...Asuka?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is it okay if I ask you something?"

"Do you mean okay as in, 'is it okay to ask me while I'm driving? Or okay because its personal?"'

"Both actually. Is that a problem"

"Nah, its fine."

Taking what she said as truth, Shinji asked-

"How come you're being more helpful recently. You cooked breakfast and then took it upon yourself to learn how to drive this car. Why?"

"Does it bother you that I decided to do something for once?"

"No...I just don't understand...why now?"

Asuka took several seconds to reply, her eyes focused on the road in front. When she did, she was surprised at how easily the words came to her.

"Well, to put it mildly, you could say that I haven't been doing a damn thing recently."

"But you weren't able to walk long ago Asu-"

"Don't interrupt me Shinji," said Asuka rather coldly. "You're the one that found all these supplies, the one that cooks every night, the one that went out of his way to help me on my feet." She paused very briefly here before she finished with, "The one that saved me."

"If I had never left in the first place," started Shinji

"Stop blaming yourself for that...and you still came back. You've been the one thats always been doing something, while I've been sitting around complaining the entire time. Well, I finally decided that I wanted to do something about that. I can't just keep pushing off all the responsibility onto you. Besides, you said it yourself-"

Turning towards Shinji, Asuka smiled briefly before she said, "We don't have much choice but to live together, and even if we won't enjoy it, we still have to deal with that. However, in order to live together, we'll have to work together and learn to get along with each other so that we can survive. We're stuck like this together I guess."

"I don't remember saying something like that..." mumbled Shinji.

"Well, it was along those lines I think," shrugged Asuka.

Rolling down the driver side window, Asuka looked out towards the ocean and decided to park the car briefly. They were just about to leave Tokyo-3 after all.

Both of them got out and walked towards the back of the car and looked out towards the city that they were about to leave behind. They were going to follow the coast until they hit Tokyo-2. Shinji had said that it shouldn't take longer than a couple of hours.

"Think we'll see it again?" asked Asuka.

"Probably," said Shinji. "...Though I don't think it will be for a while."

"Look at it for as long as you like then," said Asuka.

"No...this is probably enough. We weren't in the city very long though, but it had still seemed familiar for a while. After this, everything is going to be new."

"True...well, we should get going. I'd rather not have to try driving at night quite yet."

"Probably for the best..."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You almost stalled the car several times as we left the city."

"That was because I was still learning you idiot. Do you wanna try driving this slow thing?"

They bickered like that as they climbed back into the station wagon, unsure where the future would take them.

* * *

><p><strong>So they left behind Tokyo-3. For better or for worse, I know I'm gonna enjoy writing the next few chapters.<strong>


	9. Hesitation

**Another chapter here. Not much to say about this as its just building further on Shinji and Asuka's relationship. I know most of you are wondering where the hell I'm going with this. Keep calm though, as I got a lot planned ahead for this story. (Some of which may happen in chapters not far away)**

* * *

><p>The trip to Tokyo-2 took longer than they had intended. About two hours into the long trip, Asuka decided that they were going to stop at the nearest rest station. Though Shinji complained about this, saying he wanted to get to Tokyo-2 before it got dark, Asuka shot this down immediately. Shinji was starting to think he understood why Asuka had wanted to drive. If she was driving, that meant that she got to make the decision of whether they stopped or not.<p>

The drive itself was uneventful. The scenery flew by as Asuka brought the car up to fifty-five along long stretches of road. Shinji looked past Asuka and out the driver side window, looking down on the beaches below them. At one point, he guessed that these beaches had been filled with people. Now, the only thing that rested upon them was drift wood.

Tokyo-3 had long since disappeared behind them, and they hardly spoke as they made there way to Tokyo-2, They passed rolling hills along the right side the entire way there. Farm land covered this mostly, with sparse communities here and there.

Eventually, they started climbing a steep hill, making Asuka having to down shift into a lower gear. Shinji remembered this hill though, as when he had ridden by taxi, the driver had flown down it. He told Asuka that after this steep incline they would get there first real look at Tokyo-2. Shinji had been excited initially, but that had worn off quickly.

Tokyo-2 didn't have much in common with Tokyo-3, besides having similar names. The city was significantly smaller than Tokyo-3 and was often considered to be one giant slum. When construction of Tokyo-3 had commenced, the city had started to deteriorate. Even now, the only thing that still held any significance within the city was the capital, and that had been scheduled to be moved to Tokyo-3.

As they reached the top of the hill, Asuka parked the car briefly so that they could take there first look at the city. As far as Third Impact went, the city wasn't much better off than Tokyo-3 had been. The city itself may have been more intact, but it was apparent that there had been some damage. Afterall, Tokyo-2 wasn't far from the epicenter of Third Impact. Some of the more larger building had clearly collapsed upon themselves and the water level had risen so that the western portion of the city was underwater.

Looking out at this forlorn landscape, they almost wished that they had stayed put in Tokyo-3. Glancing at each other, Shinji and Asuka got back in their car and cruised the rest of the way into the city.

By the time they reached the heart of the city, darkness had settled upon them. They had been traveling down what must have once been a busy thoroughfare, when Asuka decided to park the car. She pulled the car onto a side street, weaving around the broken down cars as she did so. Low income apartment buildings lined either side of them, the railings having rusting long ago. Shinji was almost tempted to explore these buildings for supplies, but eventually thought otherwise. The infrastructure didn't seem all that stable.

"Is this where we're staying tonight?" asked Shinji as Asuka turned the car off.

"Unless you've got a better idea?" asked Asuka.

No, he didn't. But this brought up another question. How were both of them going to sleep in this car? The back had enough room for both of them he supposed, but sleeping that close to each other was...

Quickly though, Shinji realized how it was going to be, when Asuka got out of the driver seat, climbed into the back, and started unrolling her sleeping bag. She laid down on it, not saying a word to Shinji, but she gave him a look that said, "don't even try sleeping back here with me." So Shinji was forced to sleep upright in the passenger seat with his sleeping bag draped over himself.

Sleep came fitfully as you would expect, and Shinji found himself wondering if he had even slept at all when he awoke early the next morning. Predictably, he was first to awake, and started preparing breakfast, using whatever wood he had found littering the street. He started the fire on the sidewalk, several feet away from the car. Watching the reflection of the fire dancing on the side of the car made Shinji reflect on how far they had come since...well, months now he supposed. It was difficult to gauge time with the world as it was.

Placing the pot on the fire, he poured some water into it and then started adding ingredients. They had enough food for a while, but Shinji felt that he should still keep a lookout for any grocery stores while they looked around.

Looked around for what though was the question? There wasn't any meaning in them really being here in Tokyo-2. He just knew that neither of them wanted to continue staying in Tokyo-3. Tokyo-2...it wasn't as though Shinji thought they'd be staying here forever; he didn't see it that way at all. More like...a place for them to stop until they settled down.

'Settle down?' wondered Shinji. 'What a strange thought...'

Strange, but it oddly seemed to have some truth to it. Could they really continue to wander forever? Shinji didn't think so. Staying in one place did certainly seem like a strange idea, one that seemed almost impossible in this world. But the thought at least...

'Though with Asuka...' thought Shinji as he looked towards the car. He couldn't see her from where he sat on the sidewalk, but had to assume she was still sleeping. This journey, or whatever it was, if he thought about it terms of mutual survival, then it made sense. Actually staying in one place, like a house or something was permanent. Not to mention, that it then would feel like their relationship had changed, or this is how Shinji viewed it at least. He couldn't imagine Asuka would enjoy this change either.

As he was thinking about this, Asuka stirred inside the car and sat up, rubbing her eyes as she did so. It took her eyes a minute to adjust, and she was momentarily surprised when she saw the flames so close. On further inspection though, it was simply reflected in the window of the car. She turned her eyes instead to Shinji. He wasn't quite looking at her, but was instead staring at the side of the car. He seemed to realize that she was awake though, because he looked up at her.

"Breakfast is almost done," said Shinji.

Though there was a window that separated them, Asuka still heard him. She nodded once, and climbed back into the driver seat and opened the door. Walking around the car she sat down across from Shinji.

Yawning widely, attempting to stifle it with her hand; Shinji couldn't help but notice this.

"Sleep well?" he asked her.

"Course, though I can't say the same when I look at you," smirked Asuka.

"Well, being stuck upright in a seat isn't the most comfortable."

Asuka didn't bother commenting on this.

"So, what should we do today?"

"Get an idea for the area at least, and find places that may have supplies."

"Weren't you here before you came to Tokyo-3 though? Don't you remember anything?"

"I was only here for a couple of days, and I didn't leave my hotel room during that time. I was living out in the countryside before I came here."

"Useless," sighed Asuka.

'Like you're one to talk,' thought Shinji. Replying as such wouldn't do anything except to invite Asuka's fury though.

* * *

><p>After they finished breakfast, Shinji packed everything up and they got back in the car. Pulling out of the side street, they got back on the main road and started driving. Asuka drove slowly, both of them looking around at the buildings they passed. Nothing stood out to them in particular. The city seemed just as miserable as Tokyo-3, if not worse. At least Tokyo-3 had seemed somewhat familiar.<p>

'Were we really correct in leaving Tokyo-3 and coming here instead?' thought Shinji.

They couldn't do anything more about that though.

Soon though, they had run into a slight problem. The car was running low on gas. After driving for four hours yesterday, it was expected that they would have to refuel. How would they manage that if they didn't have any money though? Neither of them had thought to grab any since it had seemed completely worthless.

Eventually Asuka stopped the car and parked it in the middle of the street they were currently on. This section of the city was better off than the others they had seen so far. Small shops lined the sides and what appeared to be the remains of trees stood on the edges of the sidewalks. Street lights that once lit the street up were now dead and dull. Shinji felt that this was a rather nice place when humans had still lived here.

Getting out of the car, Asuka walked to the front of it and sat down on the hood. Shinji waited several seconds before he followed suit, though he stood beside her instead.

"What are we gonna do about the fuel?" asked Asuka. "I can't just keep driving around looking for a gas station while we slowly whittle away our fuel."

"These stores must have a cash register. We could break one open and grab whatever we need."

"I never thought that money would have value again."

"Neither did I," replied Shinji.

They both stayed like that for a while, Shinji standing beside her and Asuka sitting on the hood of the car. The road in front of them seemed to stretch onward for eternity. It was sorta like their own path that they followed.

A breeze, suddenly coming up from the ocean passed before them. The sun wasn't as bad as it had been in Tokyo-3, but the breeze was still refreshing. It calmed them both.

"Its almost sad when you think of how many people used to occupy this street every day."

Shinji looked over at Asuka as she said this, surprised at the tone in her voice. Her features weren't hard or angry; she was genuinely sad.

The breeze continued playing across their face, wiping around their hair.

"C'mon," said Shinji suddenly. "We should hurry up and find the money so we can get out of here."

"Yeah," mumbled Asuka as the breeze died out.

They checked many of the stores along the street, but it wasn't until the seventh one that they found a cash register. Getting it open though was easier said then done. They tried bashing it against the sidewalk, light poles, and Asuka even kicked it at one point. Though this didn't do anything except make her even more angry. Eventually, Shinji got the idea of prying it open with one of the knives he had grabbed back in Tokyo-3. It took him several minutes of adjusting the knife to different angels before he was able pry the register open. The register had plenty of cash within it, enough to last them a while.

Exiting the building, they walked back to the car and Asuka started it. Next, they only had to find a gas station.

It didn't take them long either. After rounding a corner, Shinji spotted a gas station, and Asuka accelerated rather aggressively towards it. Parking the car, it took them several minutes before they realized that the gas station wasn't working. Without any source of electricity to power the pumps, the gasoline couldn't come up the pumps. Neither of them had even considered this problem.

"Well this fucking sucks," grumbled Asuka after this realization. Shinji however had a sudden idea.

"What about siphoning the gas from other cars?" he asked.

"How the fuck would we go about doing that?" Asuka nearly shouted.

Shinji thought he had an idea for that, but without the proper item for it...

Looking over at the convenience store beside the gas station, he figured that it couldn't hurt his chances. Walking into the small building, he looked around for anything that might help him. He needed a hose that was see-through, something that he could watch the gas flowing into the tank. A gas can to hold extra would be preferable as well.

Walking down the few isles, Shinji didn't see anything useful. Though maybe in the back of the store...

Opening the door and ignoring the 'employees only' sign, he started rummaging through things on shelves, in cabinets, and a supply closet. Just as he was about to give up though, he saw a small red machine pushed into the back of a corner. On further inspection, it seemed to be a pressure washer. Picking it up, he found what he was looking for. Underneath the pressure washer, was a plastic hose, coiled around itself. Grabbing it, he ignored the pressure washer and ran out to where Asuka was grumpily waiting.

"You seem excited," she said as he ran up to her.

"I think we can siphon gas out of other cars with this," said Shinji.

Asuka understood what he meant almost right away.

"I'm surprised you thought of this instead of me," exclaimed Asuka in surprise.

"Well, you were complaining a lot," mumbled Shinji.

"What was that?" asked Asuka, her eyebrows slightly raised.

"Nothing," he replied hurriedly.

They got back into the car, but didn't have to drive very far. The first car they spotted, Asuka pulled alongside it, getting as close as she could to the other cars gas tank. Getting out, they walked in between the two cars and unscrewed both of the caps to the gas tanks. Sticking one end of the clear hose into the other cars gas tank, Shinji hesitated for a brief instance.

"Be sure not to drink any of this stuff, and I can already smell the fumes," said Asuka as she crinkled her nose.

"I know," said Shinji before he put the other end of the hose into his mouth and took a deep breath, sucking the gas into the hose. Almost immediately, he could see the yellow liquid shooting up into the hose. Clamping down on the end closest to his mouth, he waited until the liquid was almost to where his hand was clenching the tube before he stopped sucking. Being sure to not let any air travel into the hose, he quickly closed the hole on the end which had just left his mouth. Slowly, he brought the hose over to their own station wagons gas tank and carefully inserted the hose into the tank. Almost immediately, he heard the sound of the gas being emptied into their gas tank.

"Not bad," said Asuka, strangely praising him for what he had done. "It seems to work at least."

"Thanks," said Shinji. "But I think we'll have to do this a few times until we have a full tank of gas."

After waiting until the gas had been completely siphoned, Shinji removed the tube from the gas tank, being sure to hold the section of the tube that hadn't been touched by the gasoline. He would have to clean the end of the tube later when they decided to siphon more fuel. For now though, he coiled the tube back up and placed it in a compartment beside the hatch of their car.

After everything that had had happened in the past few hours, Asuka and Shinji both agreed that lunch was in order. Shinji made it, with Asuka lending a helping hand occasionally. They had certainly become more friendly with each other. Helping each other was more natural to them, and especially Asuka, who seemed to have come to terms with how their lives were now. She seemed less prone at getting angry, and was more willing to assist Shinji in what he was doing. And she had to admit, that actually doing something felt better than sitting back and wasting away.

Using the new utensils and bowls they had found in Tokyo-3, they enjoyed a rather good meal. Shinji was getting more used to cooking with canned food instead of fresh ingredients, and seemed to have found ways to improve the food. Asuka didn't think anybody could make canned food taste any better, but she was pleasantly surprised by the chili that Shinji had made.

"That almost seemed like a real lunch," said Asuka as she leaned back from where they sat together on the sidewalk.

Not once, but twice in the same day, Asuka had praised him. Shinji was starting to wonder if she had a fever or something.

"This isn't so bad I guess," said Asuka suddenly.

Shinji looked sideways at her and saw that she was looking up at the sky.

"What do you mean?"

"Living like this...isn't that bad I guess. I was worried at first, about what the future would hold, but I'm not so worried about it anymore. I feel like I've already gotten used to this."

"Well, there is still plenty ahead of us."

"Like what though?" asked Asuka. "I don't expect us to stay here in Tokyo-2 forever, but what else do we really have to worry about? There isn't anybody else here but us, that much is for certain."

"Thats part of the problem," mumbled Shinji, almost inaudibly.

"What did you say?" asked Asuka, puzzled.

Shinji didn't know whether he wanted to bring this up. The only two people left alive on the entire planet; Adam and Eve. A silly thought certainly, but one that held merit. He didn't think of Asuka that way, but if they really were the only two people left alive, didn't they have a duty as humans?

"Asuka," started Shinji.

"Hmm?"

"Would you ever consider settling down?"

"Settling down?" repeated Asuka like a parrot.

"You know...staying in one place, a house or something...living together like that."

"Huh?" replied Asuka. She felt speechless.

"I don't mean right now or anything," replied Shinji hurriedly. "Its just that, wandering around constantly...it feels that eventually we'll have to stay in one place."

"Are you retarded?" replied Asuka. The sad thing is that she wasn't mocking him.

"Why would I ever want to stay in a house with you? I still sometimes have trouble believing that I'm actually stuck with someone like you."

"You're not exactly wonderful yourself," Shinji fired back.

Asuka's mouth became a thin line then, as she radiated fury.

"You're insane," retorted Asuka.

"I think its practical," replied Shinji.

"I think its stupid," said Asuka as she crossed her arms. She wasn't relenting.

They sat like that for a while in silence, neither of them budging.

"I have to admit though," said Asuka after several minutes, "wandering around constantly, does feel rather pointless."

"So you'll think about it?"

"I never said anything about that," Asuka snapped back at him. "Living by myself though, thats certainly a possibility."

Shinji didn't bother mentioning how counterproductive that would be.

"Enough of this though," said Asuka as she stood up.

They packed everything back up into their bags and stored them into their car. Spending the next few hours, they siphoned as much fuel from other cars as they could until they had a full tank of gas. It had taken longer than Shinji had thought, since he had to clean the hose every time he used it. Asuka didn't offer to help him in this, and part of Shinji was glad that she didn't. He had a feeling that he wouldn't have let her.

Afternoon was just beginning to set in at this point. Asuka drove them around for a while, inspecting building after building as they passed them. Some of these seemed to have been abandoned long before Third Impact had even happened. They stopped occasionally, and ventured into some of them. For the most part though, they didn't find anything valuable.

Driving down a long avenue, they seemed to be in more of a residential district now. Small house and apartment buildings of varying colors passed by them as they drove. Asuka remembered what Shinji had said during lunch as she watched the apartments zip by them. Choosing one place to live in seemed to be a tough choice, even if she was thinking seriously about it. Besides, they would eventually exhausted all the resources in the area and be forced to relocate. At least, this is how Asuka viewed it.

Stop signs and street lights were barely noticed by either of them as they drove through intersections. Cars may have been backed up for miles at one point along this stretch of road. Not anymore though.

Just as Shinji was wondering where they were going to stay for the night, Asuka jerked the car sharply, and jammed down on the brake. At first, Shinji thought that Asuka had swerved out of the way to avoid something, but then saw that her gaze was fixed on something. She had suddenly turned the corner and spotted something, something which Shinji was surprised to see in the derelict city of Tokyo-2.

"Is that a park?" asked Shinji.

"I believe so," said Asuka as she sped towards it. She had certainly mastered the manual transmission already.

"I'm surprise to see one."

"So am I, but with all the houses around, I can see why. Families must have lived in many of these houses."

What she said made sense thought Shinji.

Asuka pulled into the parking lot and parked the car. They both got out, ignoring their backpacks for now. The park wasn't large compared to parks that the government maintained and had likely been built only for the surrounding community. The parking lot was perched on a hill overlooking the entirety of the park. Several fir trees were scattered along the park, providing shade. Underneath some of these, broken pieces of park benches could be seen scattered about. What appeared to be a soccer field lay further out in the park as well.

Shinji and Asuka walked down the slanted slope and looked around them. It was too much to ask for a cherry blossom tree in this park, but Shinji could wish.

"It's oddly calm here," mumbled Asuka.

She was right. Shinji had never noticed before, probably because they had been in the city this entire time, but he could distinctively hear the sound of birds chirping. He had never given too much thought to what animals remained on the planet before now. The park stretched outwards in front of them, not another building in sight. If he turned around though, he saw what remained of the skyline of Tokyo-2. This place definitely felt different then the darkened city behind them.

"I think we're staying here tonight," said Shinji.

"Agreed," nodded Asuka. "Though I'll be sleeping in the car."

"Suit yourself," replied Shinji. He couldn't understand why she would want to do this as he himself would rather sleep under the stars.

Asuka however was rather surprised that he didn't complain about this, as she would have thought sleeping in the front seat had rather irritated him. But Shinji didn't say anything more on the subject

They walked around the park for a while, letting the remaining daylight fade away. Shinji grabbed whatever spare pieces of wood that remained from the park benches and piled them together in the open field. He waited until the sun was just barely visible, peaking over the horizon until he lit the fire.

Dinner was more subdued than the lunch they had had earlier in the day and significantly less appealing. To keep their supplies from diminishing too quickly, Shinji decided that he would make one large meal everyday. Other than that though, the rest weren't very fulfilling.

After Asuka had finished she announced to Shinji that she was heading back to the car to sleep.

"I'm going back to the car," said Asuka as she stood up.

"Okay," said Shinji without looking at her as he stroked the fire.

Asuka watched him, hesitant about asking him something.

"Are going to sleep in the front seat again?" she asked eventually.

"No. I'm going to stay out here I think," said Shinji, looking at her this time. "Looking at the stars again like I did on the beach in Tokyo-3...I guess I miss that. Plus its more comfortable on the grass then in the car anyway."

"I suppose," mumbled Asuka as she turned away from him. She wondered though, if he was angry about being forced to sleep in the passenger seat last night. It wasn't like she had been rude about it or anything.

'Whatever,' thought Asuka.

Shinji barely even noticed as Asuka left to go and sleep in the car. He was enjoying himself at the moment, just being out there. As long as he didn't look behind him, the thought of the city disappeared from his mind. It had been different in Tokyo-3, as the city had seemed like something that had been essential at the time. There wasn't anything useful on the beach, and the only thing to look at was the ocean. Here though, even in the faint moonlight and roaring fire, he could still see signs of birds flying overhead. It was much more peaceful here than Tokyo-3 had been, and he was wondering if all animals that had been in the city during Third Impact had been wiped out.

His mind wandered back to when he was staying in this city for those brief few days. As he had told Asuka, he didn't wander outside the hotel he was staying at. He never had any intention of doing something like that. He almost wished that he had now, if only to know more about the city.

He wondered what life would have been like back in Tokyo-3 if none of this had never happened. If what Asuka had said was correct, then he may have potentially found himself as an Evangelion pilot. It seemed true that his father had brought him to Tokyo-3 for a reason, and the Evangelions seemed the most likely reason. It was odd though when he thought about it...that he would have likely worked alongside Asuka.

This puzzled him, as a coincidence such as that seemed strange. He was sure Asuka had thought of it herself, but the fact that two very unlikely people have been forced to work together, that may have worked together anyways if things hadn't turned out like they had. Shinji wasn't a believer in a higher being by any means, but he had to admit that something was off about that.

He threw more wood onto the fire as he thought about all this. His life could have turned out so differently. Musing over it all though, he realized that his relationship with Asuka would have likely ended up the same as it was currently. Maybe a little differently since they were forced to agree on certain things. The arguing and bickering would have still been there certainly.

Deciding that he may as well try to go to sleep, Shinji laid his sleeping down beside the fire. Stamping out the fire, Shinji rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. He didn't feel very tired, but he would prefer sleeping instead of just laying there thinking.

Minutes passed by, and just as Shinji was dozing off, a noise woke him. It sounded like a snake at first, something slithering across the ground. The noise was too pronounced to be coming from a snake however.

"You still awake?" asked Asuka from just outside Shinji's vision.

"Oh...its just you," sighed Shinji.

"Whats that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing...what are you doing out here?" asked Shinji.

It took Asuka several seconds to reply.

"Couldn't sleep in the car," she said eventually.

As she came closer to Shinji, he realized that the slithering sound he had heard earlier had been Asuka's sleeping bag. She was dragging it behind herself. Throwing the sleeping bag down on the grass, Asuka lay down on it and looked up towards the sky..

'Well, it is probably more comfortable sleeping out here anyway,' thought Shinji as he looked upwards as well.

Seconds later, what Asuka said seemed to reaffirm what he had thought.

"You had a point I think, that sleeping out here is more enjoyable. The car is fine if we don't have anywhere else to sleep, but I would prefer sleeping like this if I could."

"Yeah," mumbled Shinji, hardly listening to her.

"Hey, you're not mad are you?" asked Asuka.

"No. Why would I be?"

"Last night...well, when I more or less forced you to sleep in the front seat."

"I wouldn't say I was mad, maybe annoyed a little, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Did you think I was?"

"...Whatever, forget it." said Asuka in a low voice. She felt stupid thinking that Shinji could have gotten mad over something so insignificant.

Asuka fell asleep rather quickly after that, her face still turned towards Shinji. Finding it rather difficult to fall asleep while staring at Asuka's sleeping face, Shinji turned away from her. Considering they were on good terms right now, Shinji didn't want Asuka to get angry if she caught him staring at her face.

Stars seemed to blink at them as they slept under the stars, forgetting for a brief moment the forgotten city that lay behind them.

* * *

><p>The park they had designated as there new place to live at for the time being. Even though it was a good distance away from anything important, they enjoyed the place so much that they intended to stay there. Along with the park, they stayed in the more suburban area's of the city, deciding to ignore downtown Tokyo-2.<p>

They found a grocery store after driving around early that morning, and raided as much food as they could. With the added supply, Shinji didn't have to worry as much about dwindling supplies.

At first, they were hesitant about checking houses for supplies, but Asuka had persuaded Shinji. As she had said, if the owners no longer exist, then they hardly need any of their things. It was rather harsh, albeit true. And so, after raiding several houses, they found a slew of new supplies including a new tent that they pitched out in the open field. Shinji was glad that it was large enough for both of them, easily accommodating two other people if needed. Besides these supplies, Shinji found a map as well, covering a very detailed portion of Tokyo-2 and Japan. He was glad that had found this now, as it was something he had always been on the look out for.

Resting briefly in the park, they ate a hurried lunch and got back on the road, driving around and looking for more things. Asuka complained that she needed a bath, but as Shinji pointed out, it was very unlikely that they would find any place that had electricity. She had already gathered a few personal supplies for herself, including a comb, several towels, shampoo, and hairbands for tying her hair in a ponytail. She was already wearing one of these, her hair fluttering behind her in the wind as she drove. It was much longer then it had been, and Asuka had started complaining that it was getting in her way. Shinji was sorta glad that she hadn't cut it, even though he wouldn't admit it.

They stopped in more houses and apartment, neither finding anything useful and still no electricity.

"If I don't have a bath soon I'm just going to clean myself with the water that we've got," complained Asuka.

"If you do that, we'll be all out of water," replied Shinji.

"I know that!" she snapped back at him.

Shinji didn't honestly expect her to use their water supply to wash herself. She was simply complaining.

That was when the rain came.

It hit them all at once. One moment, the skies were clear, and the next, grey clouds rolled in and the downpour started. They hurriedly rolled their windows up and stopped the car in the middle of the road. Shinji was surprised by this, and was surprised further when Asuka jumped out of the car and laughed as she looked up to the sky. The sound was thunderous as the droplets fell around them. Shinji could only imagine this is what machine gun fire sounded like.

Asuka seemed to be enjoying the sudden downpour, and compared to the last time it had rained, she was in much higher spirits. Even Shinji had to admit that this was a nice change of pace. Quickly, their clothes were soaked through completely, even though they didn't seem to care. Asuka even took this chance to wash her hair properly, using the shampoo that she had recently acquired. Shinji was content enough to lean against the car, enjoying the rain as it hit his face.

Scrubbing her hair thoroughly, Asuka ran her hands through it, attempting to straighten it more. Her hair wasn't sleek as it used to be, but simply hung behind her hair, complete with all the sweat and grime that had accumulated there. She felt disgusting, even though it hadn't been that many days since she had swam in the Geofront.

It had been a while since she had thought about Nerv, but it was a brief passing moment. She found that the thought didn't weigh on her mind like it used to. That part of her life was long gone.

Washing away the shampoo from her hair, Asuka walked over to Shinji who was still leaning against the car.

"Satisfied?" asked Shinji as she approached him.

"More than that, I feel more refreshed then I have in a long time," sighed Asuka in relief.

Shinji looked over her, noticing the beads of water that still clung to her brilliantly colored hair. The sight was rather mesmerizing, and he could even smell the shampoo she used from where he stood.

"Ready?" asked Asuka.

"Yeah," nodded Shinji.

They got back in their car, and Asuka spent several minutes drying her hair with a towel. Shinji had acquired several for himself, but it had taken Asuka several more minutes to dry her hair. She combed it afterwards, straightening it as best she could before tying it back up in a ponytail. Shinji was just wondering how much longer they would be waiting when Asuka put the car in gear and they drove off, the rain still falling around them.

Asuka was noticeably more cautious as she drove, since this was the first time she was driving in the rain. As usual with her however, she quickly got the hang of it, and they were speeding back to their camp.

The initial euphoria of the rain had worn off, and now it was starting to become rather annoying. When the got back to their camp, it was apparent that getting a fire started was impossible. Vacating to the tent instead, they passed the daylight hours away, hoping that the rain would stop so that they could have dinner. Asuka had found herself a book while going through the houses and was now reading that, while Shinji was listening to a cassette tape that he found. It wasn't the normal thing that he used to listen to on his S-DAT, but it was better than listening to the rain hitting their tent.

It wasn't until 10 p.m. when the rain relented long enough for Shinji to get a fire started. Even with that though, it took him several tries since he was working with wet wood. He had to remember to store those in the tent or car to prevent something like this happening again.

With both of them less enthusiastic as they had initially been about the rain, they ate the warm dinner in silence. Shinji had made miso soup with white rice; a standard japanese meal. Afterwards, the rain started again. Shinji was started to suspect something, and it wasn't until after he packed the pots and bowl away that he told Asuka.

"I think this may be monsoon season that we're in," he said.

Asuka looked up from the book she was reading. She was laying on her back with a flashlight beside her, shining light onto the pages of the book.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"The sudden downpour of rain. Twice now we've seen this happen. I don't think it could be a coincidence."

"What about it then?"

"Well, monsoon season usually happens between the months of May and September."

"So its one of those months?"

"Yes, but don't forget that we've been living like this for a month, maybe two. Its difficult to tell day to day sometimes. If we take the day that we arrived in Tokyo-3 though..."

Asuka understood what he meant by this.

"I got here at the beginning of May," said Asuka.

"And myself, a week after that. So the month is likely mid June or early July."

Thunder rolled overhead as they talked, and talking ceased for a moment. They had forgotten about the rain pounding against their tent, and the cold was starting to seep in. It had to be getting close to midnight by now.

"We should probably go to sleep," said Shinji, abandoning the previous conversation.

They both got in their respective sleeping bags, but sleep would not come easily. The thunder continued overhead and the rain continued lashing against their tent. The cold was starting to become unbearable, and Shinji, who had always been resilient to the cold, was even starting to feel cold. He couldn't imagine what Asuka was feeling right now.

"You still awake over there?" asked Shinji.

"What do you think?" came the reply. "Its fucking freezing."

Shinji almost laughed at Asuka's sarcastic humor.

They were sleeping on complete opposite sides of the tent, curled up into a ball and trying to ignore the cold, but both of them found this difficult.

"Hey...Asuka?" asked Shinji suddenly.

"What? And don't you dare suggest we sleep together!"

It was amazing how stubborn she could still be even when they were both freezing.

"I wasn't," came Shinji's hurried reply. "Only...sleeping so far apart...if we slept back to back-"

"Still disgusting!"

'Stupid girl,' thought Shinji briefly.

"The sleeping bag will still be between us. There wont be any skin to skin contact."

Shinji thought that he heard Asuka's sharp intake of breath as he said this. He had made up his mind however, even if she hadn't. Still laying in his sleeping bag, he got up, and on his knees crawled to the middle of the tent and laid back down. Asuka had heard this, and at first thought that he was making his way over to where she lay.

'If he seriously lays down next to me, I swear I'm gonna kick him in the balls,' thought Asuka. He stopped of course in the middle of the tent.

They didn't say another word to each other for a long time. Asuka eventually turned towards Shinji and saw that he was facing away from her, his body curled inside the sleeping bag.

'Am I seriously considering this?' wondered Asuka. She was freezing, but it would certainly be warmer if they at least slept back to back. Question was, would she rather freeze instead of sleeping beside Shinji?

'Damn it,' thought Asuka.

Getting up on her knees, doing much the same as Shinji had done earlier, she crawled over to where he lay. She sat there on her knees for several seconds. Even though he didn't say anything, she didn't believe for one moment that he had fallen asleep.

Steeling herself for something, she made a one second decision before she threw herself down next to him, her back pressed against his. It was warmer, that much was for certain, and yet, comforting at the same time.

"Asu-"

"Don't say anything," Asuka said quickly as she cut Shinji off. "Don't say another word. I don't want to hear anything about this, for the rest of the night or tomorrow. This is a one time thing, so get that straight. Got it?"

Even though her head wasn't against his, she could still tell that he was nodding.

'This sucks,' thought Asuka, her face turning red. Though whether from the sudden warmth, or embarrassment, she didn't know.

With the added warmth, they fell asleep leaning against each other.

* * *

><p>As was the norm, Shinji was the first to wake up the next morning, and he was glad that he did. If it had been Asuka, he probably would have been woken with a knee in his stomach. Sometime during the night, they had obviously turned over, so that both of their faces were practically inches apart. Shinji didn't want to think of the possibilities that could have happened while both of them were fast asleep.<p>

Ignoring Asuka's face with her pink lips, he turned away from her and sat up, making as little noise as possible. The first thing he noticed was that the sound of rain pounding their tent had stopped. At least that was something to be happy about.

Unzipping the tent, he got his shoes on and walked out into the fresh air. The grass was still wet from the rain and water seemed to have collected at the top of their tent. The sun was already high in the sky and Shinji had to assume it was already midmorning. They had of course been up late last night, so sleeping in wasn't too surprising. Stretching, Shinji decided that he may as well prepare breakfast.

The wood he retrieved from inside the tent was damp and cold, but not overly wet and getting the flame to catch wasn't difficult. It was at this point that he heard a groan from inside the tent and then a rather loud yell.

Asuka's head darted out into the sunlight to stare at Shinji.

"What," he replied back under her stare.

"Why was I turned towards your sleeping bag!?"

Shinji felt his stomach plummet; he hadn't thought of that.

"No clue," he said, trying to feign ignorance.

"You're lying," Asuka replied back.

"Does it really matter though?" Shinji complained.

"To you, maybe not. To me, of course."

"Its not like its bad that we were facing each other while sleeping," shrugged Shinji, trying to get the worst of it over.

Asuka seemed to think differently however, because she grabbed the closed thing she could find and threw it at Shinji, which happened to be one of her shoes. Shinji skillfully dodged it, and it landed on the ground behind him. They stared at each for several seconds after this, neither seeming to give any ground.

"Get my shoe," started Asuka.

"Get it yourself. You threw it at me afterall."

Asuka sneered at him before she stood up and walked out of the tent, walking with only one shoe on. Grabbing her shoe off the grass, she walked back to the tent, slapping Shinji on the back with her shoe as she did so.

"Well, whats for breakfast?"

"Same as what we had for dinner."

Asuka didn't seem pleased by this.

"Damn it...what I wouldn't give for eggs, bacon, and some toast."

"Complain all you want, but miso soup and rice is something that we have plenty of."

"I'm sick of Japanese food."

"Well guess what? We're in Japan."

"Don't remind me," said Asuka as she sat down in front of the tent. Even though she complained, she still ate breakfast.

"So, what are we doing today?" asked Asuka without much purpose.

"Not sure," said Shinji. He didn't know really. What else did they need to survive? The grocery store had sufficient food to last them for a long time if they stayed here indefinitely. Though the park was nice, staying there forever was unlikely. Shinji had the map of Japan as well now. He wouldn't mind driving somewhere that wasn't a city if he was honest. He didn't have any idea where this may be though. Running it by Asuka right now though wasn't a good idea.

"Hmm...well, whatever. If there is anything particular that you want to find, just let me know."

"What are you gonna be doing?"

"Reading," said Asuka simply as she walked back into the tent.

Shinji didn't know that Asuka enjoyed reading as much as she seemed to. More than likely, it was just something to kill time though.

With Asuka in her own world now, Shinji fell into his own, putting his earbuds into his ears and tuning out the world. He lay down on the hill overlooking the park. From here, he could see far away hills outside the city limits of Tokyo-2. Over that hill, he wondered what lay beyond it. He didn't think he'd ever have a chance to find out though.

The entire world was so vast, and they had almost an infinite amount of time to discover it. At the very least, the entirety of Japan could probably be covered by them. Would they find something at all though Shinji wondered? Unlikely, though it may be worth it. He would wait though to bring this up with Asuka. They had just arrived in Tokyo-2, and it wasn't as though they were in a hurry.

At this thought, Shinji lightly dozed off, music still playing in his ears.

A short time after this, Asuka stuck her head out to ask Shinji something. The question though was momentarily forgotten as she saw him laying on the hill overlooking the park. Walking towards him, she peered down at his sleeping face for several seconds before she stood up and with a slight smile thought-

'There. Payback from when you saw me sleeping.'

He may be an annoying idiot most of the time, but at least he had his moments.

Walking back down the hill, Asuka entered the tent and further engrossed herself in her book.

* * *

><p><strong>Something I want to clarify really quickly. When Shinji was talking about the monsoon season, keep in mind that that was how he perceived what month they are in. Not necessarily what month they actually are in. Might be a bit confusing, but I myself had to stop and think about that for a bit as I wrote it. <strong>


	10. Realization

**Feel like I'm on a role lately. Got a lot in this chapter so just enjoy it I guess.**

* * *

><p>It was around noon that same day, when Asuka had gotten tired of reading that she decided to wake Shinji who was still sleeping on the hill overlooking the park. The sun was shining brightly in the sky right now, and Asuka was getting sick of sitting around. Walking over to Shinji, who's eyes were still closed, she stared down at him for several seconds, before she rolled him over using her foot. Almost immediately he sat upright.<p>

"Wha?" he started groggily, still apparently tired.

"I'm taking the car out," stated Asuka.

"What for?"

"Bored," she replied

With this, Shinji decided to follow Asuka on this meaningless drive. Leaving the majority of their things behind, they only took a few water bottles, and started on their way.

In reality, they had hardly explored much of the surrounding area, or any of downtown Tokyo-2. The city was large, though not quite as large at Tokyo-3, but exploring it would still take time. Since Asuka was bored, she decided to do this. Sure, it was a good idea to know what the layout of the city was like, but more than that, she was simply bored.

There first stop was the beaches of Tokyo-2, or what was left of it. As they had noticed before, the sea-levels all around the city had risen because of Third Impact. The coastal area was now deep underwater and pushing inwards. Shinji thought he remembered reading somewhere that the foundation of Tokyo-2 had been built on very unstable land. It may have been that, that made half the city sink into the ocean.

They were only able to drive so far until they hit a dead end where the water was in front of them. They weren't in the downtown district, but even so, they had reached a point where they could go no further. An assortment of junk floated in the murky water, likely from the surrounding buildings. The tops of cars could clearly been seen floating in the water. Shinji thought it looked like something straight out of a disaster movie.

Leaving this gloomy scene, they drove back inwards, using highways to navigate around. Shinji was as well looking at the map while Asuka drove. He was starting to get an idea of the different districts within the city. If he wasn't mistaken, they were passing through what once had been a popular shopping area. They passed signs and billboards, advertising everything from soft drinks, to woman's hair products. He made a note of this area, thinking that they could use it to hunt for supplies.

As they continued driving, Asuka had a place she wanted to check out in particular. It was an odd choice Shinji thought after she had suggested, but he had to admit that it would be interesting.

What Asuka suggested was that they check out the capital of Japan, since it was placed within Tokyo-2. Scouring through the map, Shinji found where the district was that housed the capital building, and Asuka drove them on their way.

They were still several miles away. Asuka kept on having to change roads as they kept running into cars that had pilled up. Swinging around a corner, Asuka darted around cars as she drove down what had once been a busy street. They had to pass through downtown first before they reached the capital. Shinji had his head resting against the passenger side door, the wind hitting him in the face. Asuka was driving rather fast for simply wanting to see the capital.

Exiting the downtown district, they reached the capital district. The buildings around them no doubt held high seats of power at one point, each of the provinces within Japan having a seat there. It was a democracy, though Shinji wondered how much political power Nerv had had within the government.

The architecture had hints of western influence in them. Some buildings had massive marble pillars that shown from the front of the building, the suns light reflecting off the columns. The majority of the buildings were modern however.

Within this district, there was the distinct attempt to make the capital at least seem pleasant, even if the rest of the city was depressing. Flower gardens lined the sidewalks on either side of the road, and giant lawns that were no doubt kept clean and cut peppered the landscape surrounding the seats of democratic power. As they continued to drive, they even passed several cherry blossom trees.

Slowly, looming in front of them, they started to see the capital of Japan. It didn't have the marble pillars like some of the other buildings, but the exterior of the building seemed to be made entirely out of marble. They parked the car on a street directly adjacent to the capital building. A lawn, which had been well groomed at one point, stretched out in front of them. An interweaving path crisscrossed around the length of the lawn, a fountain standing in the middle of it. The fountain, was of course no longer able to spew water. Along the very edges of the lawn stood hedges, higher than they should have been, lining the entire lawn.

Taking all this in, Shinji and Asuka starting walking on the entwining path leading to the capital. They walked side by side, arms nearly brushing against each other. Though Shinji thought that all this was interesting, he couldn't help but feel Asuka had a reason for coming here.

"Asuka, how come you wanted to come here?" asked Shinji as they continued walking along the path.

"Just curious about something."

"And you think its here?"

"This seemed like the easiest place to affirm it," she nodded.

He didn't have a clue as to what she was talking about, but he didn't pursue the conversation.

They reached the end of he walkway, and started climbing the steps to the front of the building. There were many steps, and Shinji didn't even try counting them all. The building towered in front of them, filling their entire eyes. It seemed to be in a stable condition at least.

"Come on," said Asuka as she opened the door.

They passed through the first door, and opened a second door, leading them into a wide hall. The floor was made of granite, stretching out to the very end of the hall. The ceiling rose high above them made out of the same marble as the exterior of the building. At the center of the hall was a large, circular desk, made out of oak wood. Walking up to it, Shinji placed his hand on the surface and was surprised at how smooth it was.

"This was likely the front desk," said Asuka as she looked over the side of the desk. Papers were strewn across the floor along with a desk lamp that had been smashed.

"Its larger than I expected," said Shinji as he looked around the wide hall.

"I don't see how you're surprised," replied Asuka. "The building itself is large, and this is the capital of Japan we're talking about."

"Did you ever go the capital in Germany?"

"Berlin? Yeah, I went there a few times. It was for Nerv though. This place though, its not quite as large as Berlin's capital building."

Shinji had trouble imagining that. Asuka was however already starting to walk away. She was walking further down the hallway. Hurrying to keep up with her, Shinji matched pace with her until they reached something which looked like a metal detector.

"Security checkpoint," mumbled Asuka. Of course, with no electricity, the scanner wouldn't go off.

Walking calmly through it, Asuka paused as she looked at the station beside the metal detector. A desk and chair sat there, and a glass panel covered both the front and side of it.

"A guard probably sat here," said Asuka as she opened one of the desk drawers.

"Is that bulletproof glass then?" asked Shinji, pointing to the glass panel in front of him.

"Course," replied Asuka. "Security was taken seriously here after all."

"What are you looking for then?"

"A gun," said Asuka simply.

This response rather shocked Shinji. He had never thought of acquiring a gun in this After Impact world. But what Asuka said made sense. A certain amount of protection was probably necessary.

"You know how to use one?" Shinji asked her.

"I received some basic combat training since I was an Evangelion pilot. Though I've only fired a gun a couple of times, and only on a gun range."

This girl just kept on surprising him thought Shinji. He sometimes forgot how lucky he was to be stuck with Asuka. She would whine and complain about thinks often, but she had a certain knowledge of things which was invaluable.

"Nothing," said Asuka as she gave up her search. "Though there will be other checkpoints to search for one."

"Is this what you wanted to look for?"

"No. It only crossed my mind when I saw the security checkpoint. I thought it would be handy to have one, in case of an emergency."

"What is it you're looking for then?" asked Shinji.

Asuka didn't immediately reply as they continued walking down the hall. They passed by several elevator shafts, none of which they could use of course. They accessed an emergency stairwell however, and started climbing up. It was then that Asuka told him what she was looking for.

"Shinji, you know yesterday when you talked about the monsoon thing."

"What about it?"

"I'm not sure if your guess of the month is accurate."

"How so?"

"First, its based on the weather, which is of course just a guess that we're in monsoon season."

"Yes, but you can't deny that we both remember being in Tokyo-3 in May before all this happened, nor that it has been almost two months since we woke up on the beach of Tokyo-3."

"Yes, but there is something that you didn't factor in. Why is it that we can't remember anything that happened during Third Impact. Something of that scale, we surely should have remembered something. Why was it that I was in my plug suit when I woke up? Why were none of the Evangelions in Dogma when we checked? Why was it, that two people who had never met before, find themselves suddenly having to live with each other. Might I add that we could both have very well worked alongside each other as Evangelion pilots."

"You believe that then? That I might have become one."

"I'm positive that you could have...or maybe were."

This statement shocked Shinji, but Asuka had her face set on what she was explaining.

"I have no doubt that your father brought you to Tokyo-3 to become the pilot of Evangelion Unit 01. That seems a given. I just don't know if you really became one, or not. From what I remember hearing from the staff when I was still working at Nerv in Germany, a pilot suited for Unit 01 hadn't been found, although the director, your father, had somebody in mind. I think that was likely you."

"What you said before though Asuka...that I might have been one. I can't remember at all...so how does that-"

"That was the other problem with your guess about the date. Our memories are not right. There is a problem between the period of both of us arriving in Tokyo-3, and then when we woke up on the beach."

"Wouldn't it just be a week or something that we can't remember?"

"I don't know long it was, and thats what makes me worried."

It was true, Asuka had a pained look on her face. She was currently unsure about a lot of things.

"At the very least, Unit 01 should still have been in Dogma, but it wasn't. If you were the designated pilot, then it makes sense to think that something happened within that time period, and you piloted it for some reason. As for myself...well I can guess that I was there with you, the First Child as well."

"What was her name again?"

"Rei. Ayanami Rei," Asuka said slightly bitter. Shinji could tell that the thought of the person annoyed her.

"So all three of us, me, you, and Ayanami fought...or something."

"I don't know," said Asuka as she bit her lips. "I'm just speculating about something which may or may not be true. Either way though, what I'm looking for in here should at least let us know how big of a gap there is in our memories."

"What...is it like a calendar or something?"

"No, thats not specific enough, though that would help to continue remembering the days. What I'm looking for here is a newspaper. I was hoping to find one behind the front desk, or at the security checkpoint, but so far, nothing."

What she said left Shinji deep in thought. There was a lot that he hadn't considered, but Asuka had. It was true that they didn't know how long their memory loss was, but it couldn't be longer than a couple of weeks at the most.

Reaching the top of the stairwell, Asuka opened the door and they stepped out into a small hallway. Offices with nameplates next the doors lined either side of them. Ignoring the names, Asuka opened the door closest to them and entered.

The office was small, making Shinji think it wasn't somebody that important that had worked here. Asuka ruffled through the things on the desk, ignoring the computer, and other things that sat on the desk. Shinji couldn't help but notice a picture though of a woman with two boys on either side of her. The person that worked here must have had a family.

'A family,' thought Shinji. It was something that he had never experienced, and from the sound of it, Asuka hadn't either.

"Doesn't anybody read a newspaper in this damn building?" wondered Asuka as she gave up her search of the office. She noticed that Shinji was staring though, and thought that he was looking at her, before she noticed his gaze was directed at the picture on the desk.

"This guy had a family," mumbled Shinji.

"Plenty of people did," replied Asuka. "At least there with each other, if you believe in that of course."

Leaving the office, they walked to the one adjacent, but here they didn't find a newspaper either.

"Is it possible that there isn't one here?" asked Shinji.

"Unless nobody in the entire building read one the day that Third Impact happened, I highly doubt that. Paper takes time to degrade, unless it gets damp somehow, and this building is in surprisingly good shape."

Rounding a corner, they came upon another security checkpoint. This one was positioned for the people coming out of the elevator, giving it a double layer of security with this one and the one downstairs.

Checking the drawers again, Asuka found at least one of the things she was looking for. In the topmost drawer was a 9mm handgun. Removing it from the drawer, Asuka examined it and checked the magazine. The magazine held several bullets, although none were loaded in the chamber of the gun. Looking through the drawer again, she found a small box, containing several more shells of ammo.

"Here, hold onto this," said Asuka as she threw the box to Shinji. Catching it, Shinji stuffed it in one of his pockets. Asuka examined the gun again, before making sure the safety was flipped. She couldn't be certain it fired until she tried it, but firing it in here wasn't a wise idea. For now, she decided to stuff it behind her waist, tucking it into the jeans she was wearing.

"Well, thats something at least," said Asuka.

Leaving the checkpoint, they examined more offices, still unable to find a newspaper that gave them an accurate idea of when Third Impact might have happened. Deciding to climb further up into the building, they returned to the stairwell. Reaching a landing that seemed to be the fourth floor, Asuka opened the door and stepped out onto the granite floor.

This hallway was smaller than the other two, but seemed to be more important as well. Double oak doors stood on the opposite end of where the elevators came from. Standing before them, Shinji looked to the plaque hanging on the wall. This seemed to be were the majority of the decisions came from within the government. Shinji wondered how many times Nerv had been brought up in the discussions that went on here.

Opening the two doors, Shinji and Asuka were greeted by a wide open room. The room was circular, leading all the way down to the main floor. Rows and rows of desks covered the wall, starting from the top, and extended all the way down to the bottom. As Shinji looked closely, he could see nameplates on many of these desks. At the very center of the room was a platform, upon which was raised a podium and behind it several chairs.

Asuka and Shinji started walking down the isle until they reached the bottom. When Shinji looked up, he saw that a skylight hung far above him, letting sunlight come into the semi-dark room.

Asuka walked over to one of the desks in the front row and examined the papers upon it. Most of them seemed to be government related. Ignoring this, Asuka continued going down the rows, searching for a newspaper that gave them a clue as to what date it had been before Third Impact. Shinji instead walked up to the platform in the center of the room and looked out. He couldn't imagine what it must have been when this thing was packed, having all those faces looking down on you, questioning you.

"Oi, Shinji!"

Shinji looked to one of the far corner of the room and saw Asuka standing there, waving at him. She seemed to be beckoning him to come over to where she was.

Taking the steps that led to Asuka two at a time, Shinji halted and walked down the row of desks until he was looking down at a piece of paper that Asuka had found. It wasn't a newspaper, but it did have a date on it.

The date read June 10th.

Shinji looked at this date for several seconds. There wasn't a year, but it did specifically say the date. Glancing at it further, Shinji skimmed through the government document, picking out key words. Slowly, he began to realize what they were talking about. Words that referred to Nerv and the Evangelions jumped out at him. Reading further, there was the mention of the angels as well. Whats more, his father, Gendo Ikari was mentioned.

"What is this exactly?" asked Shinji.

"I can't be sure, but I think its a report on the activities of Nerv. Nerv was never technically part of the government of Japan, but acted on its own instead. I'm not surprised that the government would want to keep tabs on what was happening in Tokyo-3. The date though, isn't exactly what we wanted. Even if we go with your theory, the date can't be June 10th. That would have meant there were still people here while we were in Tokyo-3."

Shinji thought back to when they had been in the Geofront and all the dried blood they had seen.

"Keep looking around," continued Asuka. "Even if we don't find a newspaper here, this is at least a start. We have a date to go off of now."

Shinji did so, following Asuka's advice and starting going from desk to desk, searching for any documents that had been dated. Slowly, they began to piece together dates from the month of June, all the way through August. The latest date they were able to find was August 21st. Some of the documents made mention of Nerv, though the majority referred to bills that were put forth.

They had already combed more than half the room and were now taking a break, sitting on the edge of the platform in the center of the grand room. Sipping water slowly, they didn't talk to each other. When they had found the document that had August 21st on it, they had been shocked. If the date on the document was correct, and there wasn't any reason why it wouldn't be, they were likely in the month of October by now. This had been a shock to both Shinji and Asuka. Almost three months of their memories simply didn't exist. Again, they couldn't be positive that this was even the final document.

Standing up again, they proceeded to search the rest of the room for more dates.

They had no idea how long they had been inside the building, only that they were both incredibly hungry, and the sun was starting to set. Shinji was starting to wish that he had brought some food with them, but he didn't know they would be gone this long. The skylight that shown down wasn't giving them much light anymore either. If they wanted to read something, they were forced to go to the center of the room where the platform stood.

As they were considering on giving up, Asuka found a paper on a desk in a row in the very far corner of the room. Calling Shinji over to her, she handed him the piece of paper that she had found. It wasn't a document, but a scrawling of some sort done on an otherwise blank piece of paper, seemingly done by the person who had sat at the desk. The contents mentioned several things relevant to Nerv, and then there was the date mentioned. The date was September 2nd, and what followed was a brief mention of questionable activities within Nerv that were of concern to certain people. The brief note brought into question whether something would have to be done if Nerv went outside the limits the government had placed on them.

Shinji and Asuka both read this brief note several times before they looked at each other.

"What does this mean?" asked Shinji.

"Certain people within the government were afraid of Nerv, and wanted something done about it. Probably, what we saw in the Geofront was a direct result of those decisions. At least, this is my guess," said Asuka

"Then, the attack on Nerv would have happened in September," Shinji replied slowly.

"Yeah," said Asuka as she let the note fall back onto the desk.

That would mean they were in late October or early November right now. The thought of this was impossible for Shinji or Asuka to comprehend. Almost four months, four months that they couldn't recall in the slightest.

Asuka let herself sink into the chair in front of the desk, her eyes rather glazed over. Four months! She wanted to scream, wanted to break something. It was maddening, simply impossible!

"Is this enough?" asked Shinji.

Shinji didn't want to think of this himself. The truth, if it was the truth, was too improbable. What was real and what wasn't? This entire time, had they been blindly walking around, not having a clue what had happened?

Asuka didn't reply to this question however; she was too stunned to reply. Shinji placed his hands on her shoulder and shook her however. He couldn't afford to have Asuka lose it right now.

"Asuka!" he nearly shouted at her.

She blinked and turned her head towards him.

"Sorry," she said. Standing up, she tried not to look back down at the desk.

"Isn't this enough?" asked Shinji again.

"For now," nodded Asuka. She was trying her best to keep calm. September 2nd...they didn't even know how many weeks followed that date. It could be another month.

"We should leave, return to the park. I'll cook something and then we can go right to sleep."

"Yeah," said Asuka shakily.

They hurriedly left the circular room and took the steps down to the ground floor two at a time. They wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

Throwing open both sets of doors at the entrance to the capital, they walked out into the decreasing sunlight. As they reached the car that they had parked across the lawn, Shinji thought that Asuka would have difficulties driving. She didn't seem to have anything else more clear in her mind right now however. Shinji understood then, that she just wanted to get back to the park, to forget about what they had just read. If she was driving, at least her mind could focus on something. They didn't speak to each other as she drove.

Asuka drove carefully as they made there way back, but it took them almost a full hour. The sun had almost completely set now, and when they returned to the park, it took Shinji a while before he started a fire. He wasn't physically tired, just mentally. He didn't want to think about the four months of his life that were missing.

Thinking that they needed something to raise their spirits, Shinji cooked a rather extravagant meal for what he had to work with. Sauteing several of the canned vegetables in a pan with soy sauce, he used this as a side dish. Cooking the rice separately, he added chicken broth, giving it a minute amount of extra flavor.

Asuka didn't say anything as Shinji passed her the bowl of rice and vegetables, but ate vigorously. Again, anything that could occupy her mind right now she relished. Shinji found that cooking did that for himself at least, as driving had done the same for Asuka.

After finishing, Asuka retreated into the tent and Shinji packed everything away. It couldn't have been later than eight o'clock by then, but even Shinji found himself wanting to sleep.

Crawling into the tent as well, Shinji glanced over to the far corner where Asuka was laying. She was already in her sleeping bag, and had her back turned towards him. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since they had left the capital building.

Shinji got into his own sleeping bag and moved to his own corner of the tent. Quickly though, he found that something was missing, lacking. Maybe it had been because of the events of the day, the realization that things may have happened that he knew nothing about. Last night though, Shinji and Asuka had slept unusually close to each other, because of the rain. Even without the rain though, Shinji found that he wished for that comfort again. They were in this together, and both were feeling the hurt from what they had found out.

Doing much the same as he had done the previous night, Shinji crawled to the middle of the tent and laid down. He didn't say a word to Asuka, but the meaning was there. 'I'm afraid just as you are.' If they couldn't find comfort in themselves, then they could find it together.

Even quicker than last night, Shinji heard movement as Asuka got up, and moved to the middle of the tent. She laid down next to him, their backs against each other. She didn't say anything either, but accepted the unspoken words.

Neither of their lives were as they had seemed. Four months of their lives simply didn't exist. That time certainly existed though. So why couldn't they remember anything?

They both questioned this as they slowly fell asleep beside each other.

* * *

><p>The birds chirping overhead was the start of the new day. It was still very early in the morning, and the sun wasn't even fully up yet when Shinji opened his eyes. He stared up at the tent for a long time, slowly remembering everything from yesterday. It wasn't as painful as it had been, but Shinji still had questions about a lot of things.<p>

Looking to his left, he saw a small lump sleeping next to him, distinguished by strawberry colored hair. Asuka it seemed, was still sleeping, her breathing low and peaceful. At least she didn't have to deal with everything quite yet. Asuka had taken the shock of missing four months of her life rather hard it seemed.

Deciding that it was a little early to make breakfast, Shinji instead carefully removed the tape deck he had acquired from his backpack, and lost himself in music for a while. It was still a long while later until Asuka awoke.

She was mumbling inaudibly beside him, and Shinji ignored it for the most part. The tossing and turning came next, and Shinji this time directed his attention towards her. He couldn't see her face, but had to assume that it was scrunched up. She seemed to be having a nightmare of sorts. He wasn't sure whether he should wake her up, as she would no doubt be unhappy about there current closeness. It seemed that he didn't have to however, because Asuka suddenly sat bolt upright, her eyes flying open. She didn't say anything, but her hand was oddly outstretched as though it was trying to reach for something.

It took her several more moments until she notice Shinji still laying beside her, and Shinji was surprised that her expression didn't change. Instead, she flopped back down on the ground and turned away from him.

"You hungry?" asked Shinji calmly.

"Not really," came Asuka's voice after a pause.

"All right...just let me know when you want breakfast."

It was perhaps several more minutes before Asuka spoke again.

"Have you been up long?"

"An hour, maybe more," Shinji replied.

"And you didn't think to move away from me?"

"The thought never really crossed my mind. Also, I didn't really want to wake you by accident. You would have gotten angry anyway."

Asuka felt herself get angry just then at his words, but also felt a hint of embarrassment.

"How are you holding up?" Shinji said quietly.

He wasn't sure whether he expected a reply, but he was curious all the same.

In reply, Asuka turned over on her back and was now looking up at the tent. Her face didn't change, but Shinji thought he caught something in her eyes.

"I'm not really sure," she started slowly. "Everything...is rather hard to take in right now. Four months gone? How can anyone expect to come to terms with that? I don't even know if I'm the same person anymore."

Shinji understood her, as he had been thinking similar things.

"It was certainly a shock, finding those papers, and the ones that mentioned Nerv. There are just too many things that I don't know...we, I should say."

"We?"

"Isn't it strange Shinji," said Asuka, "that we are both here together, and that both of us have memory loss? Both of us which had connections with Nerv, and the same organization existed to prevent Third Impact. Well, we're both here, so something must have fucked up."

"So, those four months, did we fight the angels together?"

"I can only surmise. Why don't we remember any of it though? Unless, when Third Impact happened we lost our memories."

"Why was it only those four specific months then, and why are we the only ones here then? Shouldn't everyone have died?

"I don't know," said Asuka as she shook her head rather vigorously. "I'd rather not think about such things if I can it help."

"What was that dream about then?" asked Shinji almost inaudibly.

"Dream?" asked Asuka puzzled.

"You looked like you were having a nightmare, and you sat upright suddenly, looking as though you were reaching for something.

"First off, it wasn't a nightmare. I was just remembering somebody from before. She was something like a guardian to me I guess. I was gonna be living at her place while staying in Tokyo-3. I don't know why I dreamt of her...I had hardly thought of her until now."

"Did she work at Nerv?"

"Yeah. She was an unusual person though. A total slob who was always drinking and somebody who couldn't drive for shit. But, she had helped me out several times when I was transferring from Germany to Japan."

"What was her name?" asked Shinji.

"Misato."

Images hit Shinji then, flashing by him. His head seared with pain, and it took everything within him to not grasp his head. It was unusual pain the likes which he had never felt before. Emotions filled him, emotions that he couldn't understand. What was this feeling? The name? It had to be the name! But he had never heard it before in his life. It was impossible! But no...something...what Asuka had said. Her guardian? His guardian? Their guardian? How was that supposed to make sense? He had never heard the name, but something else...the images. Suddenly, his mind went back to what he had seen at the Geofront. The immense amount of blood against the vent, an unusual amount of red. The voices as well. Was that what it was? But why should he think this?

Unfortunately for him, Asuka couldn't help but notice the sudden change in Shinji's expression.

"Misato's name...why did you react to it?"

Her voice was low.

"What do you mean?" replied Shinji, trying to ignore his splitting headache.

"Don't lie to me Shinji," said Asuka, her face suddenly serious. "You've heard Misato's name before!"

"I haven't damn it!" said Shinji firing back at her, his voice loud.

"What was that then?" asked Asuka.

"I don't know," replied Shinji.

He didn't know why these things were happening to him.

"Shinji...if you know anything at all-"

"I don't."

"Even if you aren't positive, I want to hear it."

During this confrontation, neither of them had realized how close they had gotten to each other. Asuka was halfway out of her sleeping bag and leaning towards Shinji, while Shinji was closer to her as well. Their eyes were locked with each other. Shinji didn't realize it until then, but Asuka was wearing a tank-top, her minor cleavage just barely visible.

"Fine then," said Shinji as he crossed his legs and looked away from her.

He told her about hearing the name, his reaction to it. How, even though he had never heard the name before, he had felt certain emotions pertaining to it. How Asuka's words had jogged something in his memory. His thought that, Misato might have been his next roommate, Asuka as well, considering what she had said. Even though they didn't have any memories of it, he thought that himself, Misato, and Asuka may have lived under one roof. He still purposefully left out the images he had seen at the Geofront. Insanity could only go so far.

Asuka listened to all this, keeping her eyes fixed on Shinji as he talked. She didn't let her eyes waver. What he said sounded insane, but a part of her felt that it wasn't anything but the truth.

When Shinji finished talking, he let out a low sigh, and fell back onto his sleeping bag. Asuka had her head in her hands and seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Eventually, she said-

"How the hell did we manage living together?" wondered Asuka. "I imagine we were arguing everyday."

"Aren't we doing that now?" replied Shinji.

Asuka laughed lightly at that, but continued.

"So you became an Evangelion pilot and we lived together with Misato. I can visualize that much, but afterwards..."

She didn't say it, but Shinji had an idea what she meant. That would have only been the first few days within the four months they couldn't remember. Everything else was gone.

"What I don't get is, why was your reaction so strong to Misato's name, that you were able to remember something," said Asuka.

"No clue."

"Maybe you were in love with her?" Asuka jokingly said.

"This isn't something we should be laughing about," replied Shinji. He didn't appreciate the humor in this.

"Lighten up idiot. It was a joke."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't funny." Shinji was still having difficulty getting the image of what he had seen at the Geofront out of his head.

"Sorry, but joking is about all I can do right now."

Shinji looked over at Asuka and saw that her face was rather sad.

"The reality, is that the person we are now, and the person we were, are not the same. It feels like I've got an empty hole within me, like something is missing. I hate this feeling."

Asuka smiled bitterly back at Shinji. They had figured out a portion of the truth, but the rest of it was hidden from them. That was about all they could hope for.

"Try not to dwell too much on those memories either," said Asuka as she stood up.

"How come?" asked Shinji.

"There's most likely a reason we forgot them."

Asuka didn't know how much weight her words carried.

* * *

><p>After their talk within the tent, Shinji cooked breakfast. They didn't talk about the subject anymore, and Asuka seemed to already be blocking out the fact that they had once been living together. Shinji thought the notion funny, that him and Asuka were forced to live together, exactly as how it was now.<p>

Asuka instead got a sick sensation every time she thought about it. It really was an unpleasant thought.

After breakfast, Shinji milled around camp for a while, trying to occupy himself with whatever he could find. It was boring when there wasn't anything to do.

Asuka came out of the tent then, fully clothed in jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail again. In her hand she held the gun she had found yesterday at the capital.

"What are you doing?" Shinji immediately asked when he saw what she had in her hand.

"Making sure it works."

Asuka starting walked far away from the tent, further towards the center of the park, Shinji hurrying to keep up with her. When she reached the center of the field, she cocked the gun back, loading a shell into the chamber. Flicking off the safety, she held the gun with both hands and pointed it down the center of the field. Turning around first to look at Shinji, she said-

"You may want to cover your ears, as this is going to be a little loud."

Shinji quickly did so, and moments later, Asuka squeezed the trigger. The gun exploded, the bullet shooting out the end of the cylinder, and rocketed down the field. Asuka didn't fire another shot, seemingly pleased with how the gun had performed. Flipping the safety back on, she pointed it down towards the ground and walked back to Shinji.

"Well it works," she said mildly.

Shinji wasn't sure whether to be impressed or not. At least if they needed protection, they knew they had it.

They walked back to the tent, and Asuka stored the gun back inside her backpack. Withdrawing to her book, she had intended on reading, but Shinji had something else in mind.

"Mind driving somewhere?"

"Not back to the capital I hope."

"No, nothing like that. I wanted to pick up a few things at the grocery store, as well as look for more things to carry stuff in. We've acquired a lot more than what we had initially intended."

"Well, you do have a point there," said Asuka as she looked over to her backpack. It wouldn't even close anymore.

Asuka agreed with him, and together, they decided to drive to the nearby grocery store. As usual, they took several bottles of water with them. They would have to grab a few more while at the store. At least there was still plenty of that left.

Arriving twenty minutes later, they walked into the store. The smell which had initially sickened them had become something which they were already used to. Shinji surprised Asuka by grabbing a shopping cart and started going down the different isles. Usually, he simply packed stuff into his backpack, but even his was having difficulties closing. He particularly was going down the seasoning isle, grabbing things off the shelf so fast that Asuka didn't have time to read the labels. He seemed to know what he was getting though.

While Shinji continued shopping, Asuka ambled down the isles, looking at all the different things on shelves. She sometimes did this while Shinji shopped. Since he was the one that always cooked, she usually just let him have his way. Lately though, she had been wishing for something fresher, even though she knew that was impossible. The frozen vegetables had long ago unthawed themselves with the lack of electricity.

Leaving this isle, she started walking down another, one which she usually didn't pay much attention to. She was interested though, and the talk of Misato from before had reminded her of the stuff. She had never tried alcohol before, but wondered what it would be like. She was looking at a rack of wine, reading the different labels, even though she didn't know what they meant.

"How come you're over here?" asked Shinji. He had come wandering over to this side of the store while looking for her.

"Just sorta ended up here."

Shinji looked from Asuka to the wine and then back again.

"Did you want to try some?" he asked.

"...Maybe. I'm sorta curious at least."

"I suppose, but no driving."

"I'm not stupid," Asuka retorted.

"Well, grab one then and I'll go find a bottle opener."

Blindly, she grabbed a bottle of white wine. Shinji shrugged his shoulders at her selection, and pushed the shopping cart to another isle. He found a plastic bottle opener that would work well enough, and pushed the shopping cart out into the parking lot where they loaded up their car.

Afterwards, they drove to several apartment buildings nearby and looked for more backpacks to store stuff in. They weren't all that successful however, and drove back to their makeshift campsite.

Being still full from breakfast, they wasted away the remainder of the day, Asuka reading, and Shinji listening to music. They had both agreed to wait until dinner to try the wine.

As dinner neared, Shinji used many of the ingredients he had got from the grocery store. Though the majority of it had been seasoning, he got several more cans of food. After dinner was ready, he popped open the bottle of wine. It smelled strange to him, but he wasn't going to be complaining quite yet.

Walking over to the tent, he stuck his head in and called Asuka.

"Dinners ready."

"Alright," said Asuka as she got off from her sleeping bag. She hadn't moved hers since they had slept next to each other last night, so both their sleeping bags were still next to each other. Shinji didn't think it would stay like this though.

He poured them both a glass of wine with plastic cups they had found. Though a toast felt proper, Shinji didn't have a clue what he was supposed to toast to. Asuka it seemed was already ahead of him, as she quickly placed the cup between her lips and took a sip of wine.

Almost immediately, she spit it out. Shinji hadn't expected this reaction.

"That is disgusting," said Asuka, her face sour.

Shinji tried some himself. It was certainly bitter and it left a strange tangy sensation in his mouth. He thought he preferred water.

"Maybe its a bad bottle," Shinji suggested.

"I think wine just tastes like shit," replied Asuka. She had already dumped the wine out of her cup and was instead now drinking from a water bottle. Shinji had to admit she had a good idea.

Ignoring the wine, they ate the meal otherwise pleasantly.

When they had finished, Shinji cleared everything away with additional help by Asuka. Deciding that the fire could die down on its own, they entered the tent. As Shinji went to lay down, Asuka hurriedly moved her sleeping bag away from him. Shinji noticed though, that it wasn't at the very far end of the tent like before. He didn't moved his, being already comfortable were it was.

Putting his earplugs into his ears, Shinji rolled over onto his back. The fire was throwing shadows up around the tent, creating strange images in front of him.

Those images from before, he now knew that he had seen the death of this Misato person. He didn't feel anything now when he thought of her, and he barely even knew what she looked like from the image he had seen. It was still with that image though, and he didn't know why he had seen it in the first place. It was obvious that this person had been important to him in someway, even if he couldn't comprehend how. But the fact that he had seen her death didn't make any sense. What was he exactly?

He had no idea what happened in those four months that he couldn't remember, but he felt that those images had something to do with it.

"Hey, Shinji?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you still want to know exactly what date Third Impact started on?"

"No, I don't think I care enough anymore. Even if it was only another week or two after September 2nd, I don't think it makes that much of a difference. Four months...its enough to know that much. Anymore and-"

"I'm glad we can agree on that," said Asuka, cutting him off.

Shinji didn't reply.

It was still lingering, the thought of what had happened in those four months, but it was less painful now. Even so, sleep was still difficult for Shinji and Asuka that night.

* * *

><p>First thing that morning, after breakfast, they drove around in search of backpacks again. They looked around within the area of the suburban neighborhood, but still couldn't find any. Shinji wasn't giving up though, and had Asuka drive into the city. There were more apartments here than in the suburban neighborhoods.<p>

They checked several of the large apartments, the ones that towered high into the sky. Mice had invaded some of these, and Asuka more than once swore loudly as she saw one scuttle across her field of vision. Shinji laughed several times, giving Asuka a reason to elbow him in the stomach. He had never imagined she would be afraid of mice. It was certainly a more girlish side to her. Course, if Asuka ever heard him mention this, she would kill him.

The apartments smelled rancid and moldy, and in some of them, they were forced to hold their shirt over there nose to prevent the smell seeping in. Asuka complained that she was going to smell like a homeless person by the end of this. Shinji was admittedly getting sick of this as well, in more ways than one.

As they were walking back to the car though, Shinji spotted a rather nice looking hotel. Pointing it out to Asuka, they decided to venture into it, as there were bound to be backpacks and suitcases there.

They entered through the front doors, and looked around at the lobby. The carpet was made out of velvet red and the columns were painted gold. Ignoring the front desk, they walked behind it to a place that read employees only. Pushing open the door, several trolley carts entered their field of vision. Most of them were empty, but several had suitcases on them and backpacks.

"Grab the largest one you can kind find," said Shinji.

Asuka did so, opening many of them until she found two that she liked, both large enough to accommodate her ever growing supplies. Shinji choose several himself, though none quite as large as Asuka's. Shinji was curious about the rest of the hotel, but he supposed that they should leave.

The ground suddenly started to rumble.

Shinji and Asuka both froze. Was it an earthquake?

The explosion which resounded was unreal. One building away from them, an apartment building was collapsing upon its own weight. The infrastructure had been weakened by Third Impact, but also because of the shoddy workmanship. The concrete foundation and support beams could no longer hold the building up, and instead, it collapsed upon itself. At first, it collapsed straight downwards, but the weight shifted from one side, to the other side, the one facing the hotel building that Shinji and Asuka were presently in. The building started to slant, and all at once, violently crashed against the hotel. A massive dust cloud enveloped the two buildings. The entire road had been covered in debris from both building.

The initial explosion had disoriented both Shinji and Asuka. Shinji's ears were ringing, and his equilibrium was shot. Next, the force of the other building colliding against the hotel created such an amount of force that Shinji felt the whole building teeter for an instance. He himself was knocked flat on his back, and from the loud thud that came near him, it sounded as though Asuka had fallen as well. The wind had been knocked out of him, and his vision had blurred slightly. Something wet felt like it was flowing from his head. He didn't have time to worry about this however.

Standing up on wobbly feet, he made his way over to Asuka. He grabbed her arm, and lifted her up, but found that she was responsive. She said words to him, but he found that he couldn't hear her. Both his vision and his hearing were starting to disappear. She seemed to realize this, because she instead grabbed his arm and placed it on her own shoulder, and tried to pull him towards the exit. At this moment, she noticed the blood seeping from his wounded head.

From high above them the hotel teetered again. The collapsed apartment was pushing against it with such force that it was bending the metal of the hotel. Any second now and-

The sound of screeching metal was equivalent to one thousand nails on a chalkboard. The hotel teetered one final time, before it collapsed, the apartment building pushing it over. Concrete and metal beams were ripped apart and thrown into the air. The dust cloud now enveloped the entire city block.

Underneath everything though, Asuka tried fighting her way to the exit. The cloud of dust was stinging her eyes, making it almost impossible to see. Her throat was dry and she coughed violently. She was exhausted and ached everywhere. But Shinji's head wound wasn't stopping. He had already passed out by the concussion.

In front of her, the ceiling suddenly caved in. Large amounts of ceiling tiles collapsed, along with several other floors worth of sheetrock, metal pipes, and concrete. Though the building had fallen to the side, a large amount of debris had been pushing down on the lower floors, and the ceiling just couldn't withstand the weight anymore.

What remained of the building came crumbling down around Shinji and Asuka, trapping them inside.

* * *

><p><strong>And a bit of a cliffhanger at the end here. I wasn't sure if I was gonna include this last bit, as I thought of saving it for the next chapter. But I hadn't done a cliffhanger yet so I felt it was warranted. Look forward to the next chapter!<strong>


	11. Revival

**Took me longer than I had initially intended to get this chapter finished. I've been working on something else that isn't Evangelion related, or even fanfiction related for that matter, so thats been taking up most of my writing time. Getting excited for the upcoming winter season though, so expect more chapter in the coming months.**

* * *

><p>How long had it been? How many minutes...hours had gone by?<p>

The darkness was the worst that she had ever felt. She didn't even know whether her eyes were opened or closed. She blinked several times because of this. The dust was still choking her, invading her nostrils and stinging her eyes. She groped around in the dark for several seconds, trying to get her bearings. Everything was still disorienting, but the building had come down around them suddenly. She remembered this much at least.

As her eyes slowly started to adjust to the darkness, Asuka finally stood up. Though everything was dark, she was able to pick out bits and pieces in the darkness. She seemed to be trapped within a small area. The debris from the floors above had fallen around, entrapping her within an enclosed space. She walked the length of it, finding out that it was not relatively large.

She was not hurt, at least this much she was certain of. She was sore, and her body ached, but she wasn't bleeding anywhere, and nothing appeared to be broken.

Placing her hands on the ground now, she felt the soft velvet of the carpet in the entranceway. She had been running back to the entrance when the building came down around her. How far had she made it however? She couldn't remember if she had passed the front desk or not. Something else though...what was she forgetting...

"Shinji," she suddenly mumbled inaudibly. Her voice was hoarse and dry.

Where was he? She had been dragging him to the entrance when the building had collapsed. She couldn't remember anything afterwards though. Darkness had engulfed the two of them, and then she had lost him. But, he couldn't be far from her. He may even be within this same enclosed space.

She started calling his name. Softly at first, her voice growing louder slowly. It hurt to shout, and she wished she knew where her backpack was. Her voice was cracking, and just speaking was difficult. But she had to find Shinji. She owed him that much at least. She hadn't forgotten what he had done for her. And how could she?

She started moving slowly, crouched low against the ground as she walked within the space that she had been trapped in. Quickly though, it became apparent that Shinji wasn't in this area. She started calling his name again, but to no avail.

Her eyes had almost completely adjusted to the darkness, and now she was able to take in the entirety of her surroundings. All around her, ceiling tiles and twisted metal lay. Behind her, large chunks of concrete and brick lay scattered about. She approached these first and started moving them. But what was even though purpose of this?

Letting herself fall back to the ground, Asuka looked up at the ceiling above her. She could see several large cracks running the length of the concrete that hung above her. She couldn't imagine it would last long if it had more weight above it.

Standing up again, she started shifting rubble. Even if it was meaningless, she wanted to feel like she was doing something. Dying like this, she didn't want that. Shinji as well, she hadn't forgotten about him. She called his name in between breathes, hoping that she would get a response. Her fingers were soon bloody from shifting debris. She continued however, even if her skin was flayed to the bone. Not like this, trapped in this claustrophobic space. After everything she had discovered, everything ending like this was not acceptable.

Asuka continued, determined to get out of this desperate situation.

* * *

><p>His head was spinning wildly, and he felt a sharp pain attacking his lower body.<p>

Shinji opened his eyes in the dank environment. Almost immediately, he turned to his right and vomited. His head felt like it had been split open by an axe. Still disoriented, he wiped the vomit off the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and turned over onto his back. Slowly, he started piecing things together.

Him and Asuka and been looking for backpacks in the hotel when the building had collapsed. He still didn't have any idea how it had happened, but that didn't seem important right now.

How long had he been out he wondered? He vaguely remembered blacking out and Asuka dragging him into the entranceway, but after that... His head still hurt though, so he was still suffering from the concussion. Something else though, and he hardly realized it until then.

Looking down at his lower body, he saw that one of his legs was sticking out at an odd angle. It appeared to be broken, the white of the bone sticking out through his skin.

Forcing himself to not pass out again, Shinji looked away and started taking large breaths to calm himself down. He had to think about his current situation. He had a broken leg, could hardly move, was still disoriented from his concussion, and Asuka was nowhere to be found. In terms of survival, things were not looking hopeful. Firstly though, he should try to prop himself up.

Though his vision was still hazy, he had started to adjust to the darkness. He was in a small space, devoid of light, and surrounded by large slabs of concrete and brick. He was trapped, that much was certain.

Slowly, he forced himself to stand up, putting all his weight onto his good leg, and hobbled over to one of the crumbled walls of concrete. He pressed his back against the wall and slid down it, stretching his broken leg out. It hurt like hell, but complaining about it wouldn't do him any good.

This situation, if he thought about it, was his fault that they had gotten stuck in this mess. Course, he couldn't have predicted the building collapsing on them, but if he hadn't suggested they check out the hotel, none of this would have happened. And Asuka was...he didn't even know whether she was alive or not.

He called her name though, hoping to hear something, anything. His own voice simply echoed within the space he was trapped in. He didn't have his backpack, or anything to assist him with. Even if Asuka was still alive, he couldn't see how she could help him. She was likely in a similar situation as himself. Hopefully she wasn't injured at least.

Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore the pain that was coursing through his body. This much at least, he may be able to endure this much. The thought that Asuka may be dead, and he was the only one left though.

That thought hurt him more than the pain in his leg.

* * *

><p>Asuka hadn't given up. If anything, she felt herself more determined than ever before. She simply worked with her hands, shifting brick and pieces of concrete. As long as she continued doing this, everything was okay. She didn't think, she simply acted. If what she was doing was helpful in someway, if what she was doing made a difference, she would continue doing it.<p>

Shinji couldn't be dead. That had been pushed to the far reaches of her mind. Yes it had surfaced, and yes she had thought of it, but it couldn't happen, wouldn't happen. If she just kept working, she would eventually find him.

Did she owe him? Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. She hadn't thought about that however. They had been together for nearly two months now, and some things just couldn't be summed up in the time spent together. They were in this together, as they had both said to each other.

Asuka called Shinji again, pausing briefly in her work. She was sweating immensely now, her clothes sticking to her skin. She was covered in so much dust that she almost looked like a ghost. Giving up wasn't an option however. She returned to work, but she was working more slowly now. She was tired, thirsty, and hungry, but something else was gnawing at her. Namely, her air supply. She had no idea how long her supply of air would last. It had already been thirty minutes since she had started she assumed, and with her increased breathing and work, she was burning precious air. She was hopeful that there was a crack somewhere in the debris however, that was letting new air in. Again though, this was mere hope.

Through everything though, Asuka continued calling Shinji's name, no matter how breathless it made her feel.

* * *

><p>At some point, Shinji had dozed off. He found that he was able to shut off the pain, although this may merely have been because he couldn't feel his leg anymore. It was lifeless, and had quickly swelled up like a balloon.<p>

He looked around at his surroundings, but nothing had changed. His head wasn't as bad now, so that was something at least. In fact, it hardly hurt at all anymore. Shinji was surprised by this, but didn't think long on it.

What was he supposed to do right now? Waiting for help seemed impossible. But so did moving the rubble. He had to do something though. Asuka would surely berate him for not doing anything in this situation. It wasn't as though he had given up, but on the other hand...

'I'm being pathetic,' thought Shinji.

He was he realized. Even when Asuka had been stuck on the beach, she hadn't given up. She had crawled her way to the ocean just to get water. She hadn't given up, even when everything was against her. Shinji could never fathom what those few days had been like for her, but here he was, already giving up.

Something, anything would do. Even if his leg was broken, even if he was tired and exhausted, giving up now wasn't an option. They had come so far together and had discovered so much about not only their memories, but each other. Shinji wasn't about to throw that away.

Shifting around, so that he now faced the concrete wall that he had been leaning against, he started moving the smaller pieces of stone and brick. He was sitting down as he did this, and had to moved forward on his hands before sitting back down. Every time he leaned forward or moved, he felt a dull pain in his leg that made him clench his teeth so hard he thought they would break. He was doing something though and that was at least made him feel better.

Slowly, he began to move enough rubble and created a small crawl space, not even tall enough from him to stand in. He had to be extremely careful, as each brick he moved could bring a large portion of the area down. He was taking a large gamble, more than he cared to think about. He paused occasionally to catch his breath, but he slowly began to realized something. He could feel something pressing against his face. Air was seeping in from somewhere. The air was different from the staleness he was currently breathing in. It was more fresh. He couldn't tell where it was coming from however.

Something else about the air, and Shinji couldn't exactly make out what it was, but something felt familiar within it.

He continued digging, slowly making his way towards the familiar smell.

* * *

><p>Asuka hardly noticed how much progress she had made.<p>

She had moved a large amount of brick and concrete, enlarging the area she was trapped in. She didn't know whether this was doing any good however. Currently, she was sitting in the middle of the area she had been trapped in, resting. She was exhausted from everything, and her mind was starting to question her course of action. If she let herself think about it, then everything would collapse. If she had made a wrong decision...her mind continued thinking that.

She had made her decision though, and had to follow through with it.

Standing up once again, she made her way over to where she had been working and crouched down. Just as she was about to start shifting rubble, she called Shinji's name again. How many times had she called for him in the past hour? She didn't know, but it was more of a reflex now, something she did out of habit. She hadn't heard a response yet, and part of her didn't expect one.

As usual, she didn't, and started shifting rubble again.

It was then though, that she did hear something.

Just as she had been about to move a small chunk of concrete, she heard a muffled sound. She stopped what she was doing and listened. The muffled noise came again. Asuka pressed her ear against the wall in front of her and paused, before calling Shinji's name again.

It came several seconds later, a reply. It was impossible to understand with the debris separating them, but Asuka could tell that what she heard was Shinji's voice. She didn't say anything else, but started moving bricks meticulously. He was alive, and that was all that mattered. She felt glad then, glad that she could see him again. She had gotten used to seeing his stupid face so much that this time spent apart felt like several days instead of an hour. It was an odd thought that she had missed Shinji, and though Asuka could never explain it, she may have understood a portion of it deep inside her.

She continued working, just as Shinji was doing something similar behind the wall separating them. Eventually, they lessened the distance to the point that they could talk to each other.

"Shinji, can you here me?" asked Asuka, shouting through the wall of debris that separated them.

"Yeah," came Shinji's reply. His voice was low and sounded painful. Asuka immediately took this to mean something was wrong.

"What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

"Don't worry about that right now. Just focus on moving the rubble."

Asuka wanted to ask him more questions, but realized that he had a point. Even if Shinji was hurt, talking about it while they still had the debris separating them was rather pointless.

They continued working, slowly shifting rubble. They didn't talk as they did this, preferring to save their energy.

After several more minute of grueling work, they connected the two tunnels. Asuka shifted one last piece of concrete out of the way and was greeted by Shinji's dusty face crouching low to the ground. Though he smiled back at her, his expression was certainly pained. Asuka helped him to his feet and looked back at him. She noticed that he was standing on only one leg.

"Your leg," she started, "is it-"

"Broken," finished Shinji as pain flashed across his face. He tried to ignore it.

"Asuka...I have to tell you something first-"

Shinji was cut off, as Asuka did something rather unexpected, and hugged him. Caught off guard, Shinji was unsure how to reply, as this wasn't something in Asuka's nature. She was hugging him tenderly, holding him up upright. Shinji realized this, and relaxed himself, falling into Asuka's arms. He was exhausted and his entire body pained him. But Asuka was at least there for him.

"I'm glad you're okay Shinji," Asuka mumbled near his ear.

"I'm glad you're okay as well Asuka," Shinji heard himself reply back

Asuka had her arms wrapped around his back, and didn't seem to want to let go quite yet. The warmth was certainly comfortable, but they weren't out of this mess yet.

"Asuka, I have to tell you...the air here...is different then where I was."

At Shinji's words, Asuka did break off the hug, but still held Shinji within arms length. Shinji was glad for this, as he wasn't being supported by much except Asuka and his good leg.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The air here...is being circulated. When I was moving rubble on my side...I must have moved enough because I noticed the change in the air. It was more fresh. There must be a gap...where air from the outside is coming in."

"Can't that wait though? Your leg is-"

"I can deal with the pain for now, but this place could collapse any second. We need to find where the air is coming from."

"Okay, okay," said Asuka. "Where is it though?"

"Give me a few seconds," said Shinji. "I can still notice the difference between this air and the air that I was breathing."

They both stopped talking, and Shinji looked around the opening they were in. It was certainly much larger than the one that he had been stuck in, but at the same time seemed more dangerous. The ceiling above them was less stable Shinji saw, noticing the same crack running down the length of the concrete wall that Asuka had seen earlier. He started moving around the area, supported by Asuka. It was becoming more difficult to tell where the air was coming from. There wasn't a gust, or a breeze, or anything.

Shinji passed alongside each of the walls, pressing his face against all of them. Several times he paused, thinking that he had noticed something, but he eventually walked further on. On the last wall he was checking however, he stopped and looked at it for a long time. It was distinct, and yet, hardly there. He could smell fresh air coming from somewhere behind the wall, but it was barely noticeable.

"Right here," said Shinji as he placed his hand against the broken wall. "This is where the air is coming from."

"Are you sure?" asked Asuka.

"Positive," said Shinji as he bit down on his limits, trying to ignore his broken leg. Asuka noticed this of course.

"Come on, lets start shifting some of this rubble," said Shinji as he started to bend down, still being supported by Asuka. She wasn't about to allow that however.

"No Shinji. Right now, you need to sit down and not put any pressure on that leg."

"I'm fine."

"Stop being an idiot. You have a broken leg. Of course you're not fine."

"If we work together, then it'll go faster."

"No, if we work together, then you'll just get in the way."

Though what she said was true, Asuka was being rather harsh. Trying to explain what she meant, Asuka continued.

"Shinji, just let me do this. You're hurt and should take it easy for a while. Besides, if our position were switched, you would be telling me the same thing."

Though Shinji wanted to argue back, he supposed that Asuka did have a point. If there positions had been switched like Asuka had said, Shinji figured he would have said the same thing. Possibly even stricter.

"Alright, you win," said Shinji, trying to smile but turning it into a grimace because of his pain.

Asuka gently lowered him down, allowing him to lean against the wall while she worked. At least this way they could talk to each other.

"I forgot to ask, and although it seems pointless now, you aren't hurt at all are you?" asked Shinji.

"No, I was fine when I woke up," said Asuka. "What happened is what I want to know. I'm still slightly in shock from it all, but the building came down around us, even though it didn't seem like it was in bad condition."

"I guess I should apologize then," mumbled Shinji.

"For what?" asked Asuka as she paused in her work.

"For suggesting that we check out the hotel."

"It isn't your fault Shinji," sighed Asuka. "So don't go blaming yourself like you usually do."

Asuka continued working, with Shinji sitting beside her. They talked occasionally, but mostly kept silent, the only sounds coming from the rubble that Asuka was moving.

Pausing for a time, Asuka wiped her brow with the sleeve of her shirt and sat down, leaning back on her hands. Shinji looked at her then. The shirt she had been wearing before had been white, but it was a dusty grey color and her pants had turned a likewise color. The dust that had settled in her hair looked as though she had aged forty years in the passed hour. Despite all this, Shinji still couldn't say she was unattractive. Well, despite her personality at least.

"Whats up?" asked Asuka, apparently noticing that Shinji was looking at her.

"Nothing," Shinji hurriedly replied as he shifted his gaze away from her.

Asuka raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on that. Instead, she told Shinji-

"I think I should take a look at your leg."

"Why?"

"I'm not gonna pretend I know much about broken bones, but I at least want to see how bad the swelling has gotten."

"Okay."

Walking over to Shinji, Asuka crouched down next to him and ripped apart his jeans, revealing the broken leg underneath. His leg had already turned purple and the bone was certainly sticking out through the skin. Asuka didn't think this was a very good sign, but she didn't have any idea how to tackle it either. They would have to worry about that once they got free.

"It certainly isn't very pretty."

"Yeah, and it hurts like hell," said Shinji.

"I wish I could do something but-"

"Just get us out of here. That would be enough help."

Asuka nodded and returned to shifting rubble and debris out of their way, following the flow of the air. What felt like hours passed, even though it was unlikely they had been trapped there for so long, when Asuka noticed light starting to peak through the rock. Shouting for Shinji, he hobbled over on his broken leg and watched as Asuka removed the last of the rubble blocking them.

Rays of sunlight fell down into the hole they had been trapped in; Shinji didn't think he had ever been so happy to see sunlight. Crawling out of the hole first, Asuka then helped Shinji up to the surface. They weren't even in the hotel building anymore, or what was left of it. The rubble had stretched outwards, covering much of the road in front of the building. Looking behind them, they finally saw what had caused the sudden collapse of the hotel. It was apparent that another building had collided against the one they had been in, pushing it over. They were lucky to be alive.

Lowering himself down to the ground, Shinji winced as he did this, but was too tired and sore to move for a while. He was just glad to be out of the darkness. Asuka stood by his side, looking out across the rubble. It was like they were standing on top of a battlefield.

"Looks like our car is at least okay," sighed Asuka as she pointed to there left.

Shinji looked in the direction she was pointing and saw that she was right. At least that was something. They didn't have to worry about being stuck in the city overnight. Not to mention moving very far with his leg as it was seemed impossible.

"C'mon, lets get back to our camp," said Asuka as she bent down and help Shinji to his feet. Shinji was glad for the assistance.

Asuka walked Shinji to the car and opened the passenger door for him, helping him into the car, being careful not to bang his leg against anything. After Shinji was secure inside, Asuka walked around to the driver side and got in. Starting it, she was relieved to hear the roar of the engine. Reversing the car, she drove hurriedly back to there campsite, glad that they had gotten out alive.

* * *

><p>Though the worst was over, Shinji's leg was a problem, and Asuka quickly realized this when they got back to camp. It was difficult enough just getting him down the hill leading to their camp, and they almost fell over several times, but Asuka didn't know what do now that they were back. She had placed Shinji inside the tent, and he had fallen asleep immediately, though he may have passed out because of the pain as well. Shinji wasn't complaining, but Asuka could clearly see the pain on his face.<p>

The most obvious thing would be to attempt to reset the bone, but Asuka was afraid that she may break it even worse. Other than that, a splint would make sense, but Asuka would need a large enough piece of wood to accomplish that. For now though, she settled on brewing tea, not only for Shinji, but for herself. After being trapped in their for so long, she wanted something hot.

After the tea had finished brewing, Asuka poured a cup and drank it slowly, thinking about what she would do next. She didn't intend on leaving Shinji alone, both for her peace of mind, but also knowing that if she left him alone, he would likely do something stupid. He had called her stubborn before, but he wasn't one to talk. He still felt it was his fault for what had happened.

Deciding that she may as well check on him, Asuka entered the tent, but found that Shinji was already awake. He was sweating immensely, something which she hadn't thought of. Removing the sleeping bag that was covering him, she then grabbed a towel and tore off an edge, using this to wipe the sweat of his brow.

"Thanks," mumbled Shinji through clenched teeth. He was doing his best not to cry out.

"Shinji...I can't just leave you like this."

"Then what do you suggest?" he asked miserably.

"I don't think I have a choice but to try and reset the leg."

"You don't sound very confident when you say try."

"I'd rather try than not. Seeing you like this isn't very enjoyable for me either you know."

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"Do you really want to hear the reply to that?"

"No, I don't suppose I do," replied Shinji after thinking about it for a few seconds.

Asuka looked at him for several seconds before she sighed and said, "Okay...I need to get something to brace against your leg first though before I set it. Promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"Like what?"

"Moving would be the first thing that comes to mind. No matter what, stay laying here. I'll just drive to the nearest house and grab something. Now promise."

Shinji saw in Asuka's eyes that she was adamant about this.

"Fine, I won't move an inch," said Shinji. "Not like I could get far anyways."

"I'll take your word," said Asuka as she stood up and left the tent. She returned moments later with a cup of tea, handing it to Shinji.

"Drink this while I'm gone. I imagine you're thirsty as well after being trapped in that building."

"Yeah, thanks," replied Shinji.

"I'll be back shortly."

Asuka left the tent, hoping that Shinji really wouldn't do anything stupid.

Getting in the car, she backed out of the parking lot and drove to the nearest house. Stopping against the curb, she didn't even bother killing the engine as she jumped out of the car. They had already been through this house before, but Asuka was sure that she could find something to use as a splint.

Rummaging through the house, she eventually found several metal pipes in the basement of the house. Grabbing the smallest, she hurried back to the park, glad that she hadn't been gone long; she was however worried that Shinji may have moved.

When she returned and entered the tent, she saw that he was laying there patiently, looking up at the ceiling of the tent. At the sound of her footsteps, he craned his name to look at her.

"That didn't take long," he said.

"I'm glad it didn't; I want to get this over with quickly."

"Agreed," said Shinji as he tried sitting up.

Hurrying over to help, Asuka assisted him in moving forward as he slowly propped himself upward. Wincing at the pain, Shinji looked down at his leg.

"So, should we do this now or what?" grunted Shinji.

"The sooner the better I think," said Asuka as she examined his leg closer. The skin had completely turned purple around the bone which was sticking out. Asuka bit her lip though, unsure of herself. She shouldn't be doing something like this, but the world wouldn't give her any other options.

"Give me a few more seconds," said Asuka as she left the tent.

She returned a few minutes later with a large chunk of firewood.

"It'll taste strange, but put this in your mouth. I probably don't need to tell you what this is for."

Shinji eyed it, but eventually sighed and said, "No, you don't really need to."

Taking the firewood from Asuka, Shinji placed it in his mouth and clamped his teeth over it. His jaw was barely able to hold it, but at least there was no chance he would bite through it.

Meanwhile, Asuka was tearing several strips of cloth from towels, shirt, and any other fabrics she could find. Once she reset his leg, she needed to bind the metal pipe to it somehow. She was glad that Shinji wasn't complaining about the things she was tearing apart; they were only clothes after all.

After collecting the required amount of cloth, she lay them alongside the metal pipe and looked over at Shinji.

"How you doing?" she asked.

"Terrific," he mumbled sarcastically. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Right," nodded Asuka.

Inching closer to him, she sat next to his leg with her knees tucked under her. Reaching towards his broken leg, she gently placed both her hands on his leg. Shinji shivered at her touch, both because of the pain, and also because her hands were freezing. Though she didn't say anything, Shinji could tell she was nervous. Moving his right hand upward, he rested it on her leg, consoling her.

"Thanks Asuka, and whatever happens, don't worry about it."

"That really doesn't help much."

"Just don't blame yourself is all I'm saying."

"Tell me that after I do this," said Asuka.

Taking one final breathe, she glanced over at Shinji who nodded slowly.

With a crack that sounded like a rifle firing, Asuka applied immense pressure to his leg, pressing down on it with both her palms flat, and then popped the bone back into place. One thing that she hadn't counted on though, was Shinji's reaction. Certainly, he continued biting down on the firewood, but without anything, or anybody to hold him down, Shinji saw bolt upright, his scream echoing through the wood clenched between his teeth. Momentarily thinking that she had done something wrong, Asuka nearly panicked, but quickly gained control of herself and threw herself at Shinji. Grabbing his shoulders, she tried forcing him to the ground, but he was stronger than she gave him credit for. Pinning him to the ground, Shinji continued kicking his legs wildly, the pain excruciating. If she didn't do something, Shinji may very well break the leg again. Looking briefly at him, Asuka couldn't ever remember being this close to him before. Their faces were practically pressed against one another, and the tears of pain that were leaking out of Shinji's eyes were dotting Asuka's face slowly. She was amazed that Shinji could take this much pain and still be moving around this much, but she knew what she had to do at least.

"Sorry about this Shinji," mumbled Asuka before she clenched her right fist, and swung it accurately against his skull, crashing into it.

Shinji immediately blacked out, his eyes slowly closing and his wild movement ceasing. Moving off of him, Asuka firstly checked to make sure he was still breathing. Affirming this, she removed the chunk of wood between his teeth. Large indents could clearly been seen where he had bitten down on it. Grabbing the metal pipe and several different colored, torn pieces of clothing, she started wrapping them around his leg. After several meticulous minutes, she was able to fasten the pipe securely against his leg, ensuring that it wouldn't fall off. Leaning back on her hands, she let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off her forehead. The worst was over at least, and now the recovery would start. Even so though, it would be months before he could properly walk again.

'I suppose I'll have to make a crutch of some sorts,' thought Asuka; she could worry about that later though.

Looking back over him, she recounted what had happened to them in the hotel. Everything was such a blur during the chaos which had engulfed them, but Asuka felt like she was forgetting something, something important.

Thats right! Shinji had blacked out because of trauma he had received. She had completely forgotten about the blow to his head. Because of his broken leg, and trying to get out of the debris, she had forgotten to ask him about it. He hadn't brought it up either though, which was strange when she thought about it.

Moving closer to him again, she examined the back of his head carefully. There was dried blood mixed into his hair, but there wasn't any sign of a wound at all. Six hours had maybe gone by since the initial collapse, so how was it that there wasn't anything there? Moving her hand through his hair again, this time she noticed the faint trace of a large bump. If this was all he had sustained, then where had all that blood come from?

This unnerved Asuka somehow, even though she didn't know why. So many things had happened over the last two days that she was having trouble piecing it all together. Shinji seemed to be alright for the time being though, and she supposed thats all that mattered.

* * *

><p>Though his eyes didn't open at first, Shinji was still conscious about the world around him. His leg was aflame, but he tried to ignore the pain for now. He was aware that somebody was sitting near him; he could feel a certain presence. Though his mind was still hazy, he still felt his right arm rise upward, his hand reaching out towards the person near him. He felt warmth envelop his hand, as somebody clasped there own hand in his.<p>

"How are you doing Shinji?" asked Asuka.

"...Not really sure," Shinji heard himself reply; his eyes were still firmly closed.

"Why are your eyes still closed?"

"I think my body is trying to ignore the pain."

"It still hurts then?"

"Yes, but not nearly as bad as before."

"I wonder," mumbled Asuka, more to herself then to Shinji.

"How long was I out?"

"Almost twenty-four hours."

"That long?"

"Yeah...sorry I had to knock you out."

"No, I understand why you did it. You don't have to apologize."

After this initial conversation, Shinji's eyes began to open slowly, the first thing they latched onto being Asuka.

"How long have you been sitting here?" he asked.

"Long enough," replied Asuka. "I had to keep an eye on you, because you were constantly tossing and turning. You hungry at all?"

"Starving."

Leaving the tent, Asuka returned several minutes later with a bowl of oatmeal.

"Sorry, this is all I made."

"No, its enough," mumbled Shinji.

Shinji expected Asuka to help him sit up at this point. His leg still hurt like hell, but he could ignore it long enough to accept the food that Asuka had brought him. Instead however, Asuka knelt down beside Shinji and wordlessly spooned some oatmeal onto the spoon. Seeing this surprising decision by Asuka, Shinji couldn't help but feel he was still asleep.

"Asuka?" he asked questioningly.

"Its better for you to continue laying down," she replied. "Because of that, well, this is the only thing that makes sense."

She said this last part quietly, her cheeks tinged pink.

"Thank you," said Shinji.

"Expect this to be a one time thing," said Asuka as she patiently fed Shinji.

After finishing the oatmeal, Asuka left the tent again briefly, busying herself outside. Shinji could here her rummaging around through the luggage outside. Walking back inside, she sat down beside Shinji.

"What have you been doing since yesterday?"

"Keeping an eye on you mostly...not like I had many other options. I wasn't sure how long you'd be out, and wanted to be sure I was here whenever you woke up."

"How does my leg look?" asked Shinji.

Asuka didn't immediately reply when he asked this.

"How does it feel to you?" she in turn asked.

"Still hurts a lot, though not as bad as yesterday. I guess reseting it must have worked."

Asuka continued staring at him, her eyes unwavering. Feeling that she was looking at him rather strangely, and more so than usual, Shinji asked-

"Is something wrong?"

"...Shinji, do you remember when the hotel was falling around us, and you blacked out because you hit your head on the ground rather hard."

"Vaguely, I suppose. When I awoke in that tunnel, it was my leg which bothered me more. I didn't think much about it."

"Yet I remember, when I was trying to carry you out of the building, your head was sopping wet with blood. You easily had a concussion."

"Like I said, I didn't notice the blood when I woke up, because of my leg and the circumstances."

"Did you think to check when we left?"

"No, like I said-"

"Shinji, the wound is gone."

Asuka said this, her face entirely passive, trying to gauge Shinji's reaction. He was surprised, to say the least. What with his leg, trapped in that narrow space, unsure what had happened to Asuka, that minor injury had seamed meaningless. Yes, maybe he should have checked his head, but getting out of there had been the immediate problem. Then of course when they returned here, they had to deal with his leg. He didn't have any time to worry about his head injury. But saying that it was gone completely, how was that possible?

"By gone, you mean..."

"As in it healed completely," replied Asuka. "After I knocked you out, I checked your leg again, and then remembered how badly you were bleeding before. When I examined your head though, all I could find was a minuscule bump with a lot of matted and bloody hair surrounding it. I didn't know what to think of it, and still don't really. Since then, I checked your head every couple hours, but even that bump is now completely gone."

Almost as a reflex, Shinji moved his hand to the top of his head, and checked for the bump. Certainly, his hair was matted and congealed with blood, but there wasn't any wound that he could feel.

"Maybe I didn't hit my head as hard as we initially thought," offered Shinji.

"Impossible," stated Asuka. "My hands were covered in your blood, and that doesn't explain the bump that disappeared."

"We must have made a mistake."

"We didn't," said Asuka as she shifted her position towards his leg. Watching as she did this, Shinji could only sit there quietly as he watched Asuka proceed.

"Normally, when a leg is reset after it breaks, an object is used to steady the broken bone, keeping it in place, which is why a cast is usually used instead. Using a crude pipe works just as well of course, but thats only if the bone needs to be steadied. Several hours after I reset the bone, I noticed that the swelling had gone down considerably. Though I don't know much about broken bones, I assumed that the swelling would increase for a while after the initial reset, or at least turn several shades of purple. Nothing of the sort happened, and the swelling continued to go down."

"How is that possible?"

"You tell me. Its your body after all," replied Asuka.

Shinji couldn't explain this though. How was he supposed to when he didn't even understand what had happened?

"Whatever the reason though," said Asuka, "your leg seems to be healing at a rapid rate, which in itself is good I suppose. I wasn't sure what I was gonna do, since broken bones take months to heal usually."

"Glad I didn't bother you then," said Shinji rather annoyed.

Frowning at him, Asuka said, "I was being serious. I didn't want to think that far ahead, but it looks like I wont have to worry about you. At this rate, you should be able to walk in one to two weeks."

Shinji only gathered one thing from this conversation.

"You were worried about me?"

Not realizing she had said this, Asuka face became several differs shades of red.

"Well, considering you had a broken leg, I don't think it was unusual, or should I say it was assumed," Asuka stammered.

Seeing this reaction, Shinji couldn't help but laugh, making Asuka's embarrassment shift to anger. Shinji was glad that they could laugh about this, but his fast recuperation unnerved him. Those images he had seen of Misato at the Geofront, his unusual endurance, and now being able to recover from a broken leg in only two weeks. All of these things made him question who he was, and he was already doing this because of what they had learned at the capital. Now though, it was an entirely different reason. Was this body even his? It seemed foreign to him now.

* * *

><p>For the second time since they had been living like this together, Asuka cooked their meal. The first time she had done it, Shinji had still been fast asleep, though now he was wide awake. Asuka almost wished he was still passed out, because he was constantly asking her what she was doing. Since he still couldn't leave the tent, he had become increasingly impatient and irritable, making Asuka realize this is what she was like sometimes. No matter what she was making, or how she was going about doing it, Shinji wanted to know the step by step process. He only quieted down after Asuka had yelled at him.<p>

Kneeling beside the fire, Asuka stirred the pot slowly. She had made vegetable stew with what ingredients were available to her. Something to warm them up was her initial thought for the meal. It wasn't relatively cold out, but something that could cheer them up at least. Asuka certainly never thought she would be making something like this for Shinji.

After sometime, she deemed the stew ready, and ladled some into a bowl. Leaving the campfire, she entered the tent and handed the bowl to Shinji, giving him the first serving. Considering he wasn't able to move, and how miserable he was, Asuka decided it was best to give him first helpings.

"How is it?" asked Asuka as Shinji placed the first spoonful in his mouth. It was more a standard question in a situation like this than anything meaningful. Asuka didn't care whether she was praised or not for her cooking.

"Fine," said Shinji rather offhandedly.

Accepting this, Asuka left the tent and returned shortly with her own bowl, sitting across from Shinji. They sat in silence for a while, quietly eating, until Shinji finished his first and placed the bowl beside himself. Finishing her own, Asuka stood up and grabbed his bowl, asking whether he'd like seconds. Shinji had declined, and Asuka didn't harp on him. She had a suspicion that Shinji would rather be left alone for now.

Asuka stayed outside the tent after this, washing the pot, bowls, and silverware they had used and then sat around the fire. Though evening was starting to wane, and the first signs of the darkness was starting to surround her, she still didn't have any intention of reentering the tent.

There positions had oddly switched, where now Shinji was the one unable to move, and Asuka was the one taking care of him. If things had been like this initially, Asuka didn't think she would have bothered with it. Now though, over a month had passed since they had first talked on the beaches of Tokyo-3, and they were in this together.

Asuka understood Shinji's displeasure at being temporarily handicapped, so she could at least sympathize with him, and understand his wanting to be left alone. Something similar had happened to her of course. Shinji had tried to engage her many times, though she had mostly shrugged him off each time. Even if this was only a temporary thing though, Shinji was going to still have to rely on her for several more days until his leg would heal.

Sighing quietly, Asuka looked up to the sky when she heard Shinji calling her from the tent. Surprised that he would call her, it took several minutes until Asuka got up to see what he wanted.

Poking her head through the front of the tent, she saw Shinji sitting up with his arms folded in front of him. His expression was hesitant, attempting to decide upon something.

"Whats wrong?" asked Asuka.

"I think I want to try something," replied Shinji, as he looked back at her.

Asuka didn't like the sound of that, or his expression, but she still asked what he wanted to try.

"I need you to get me a knife, just a cutting knife that we have for chopping food would do."

"And what do you plan on doing with that?" asked Asuka as she crossed her arms.

"Can't you just get it for me instead of asking questions?"

"If you were in my position, and I had just asked for a knife while having a broken leg, what would you reply with?"

"I'd refuse in all likely hood."

"Then I refuse, unless you tell me what you're doing."

Asuka didn't seem to be budging, but Shinji didn't want to tell her either what he had thought of.

"I'll say this much then," started Shinji. "It has to do with my leg, and the reason why its healing so fast."

"You think you know the reason?"

"Not a clue, but I'm still curious about something."

"And having a knife will help you somehow?"

"Yes, and if you're so worried, you can stay her and watch incase you think I'll do something stupid."

Though Asuka looked like she wanted to say something in regards to being worried about him, she bit her tongue instead.

"Alright, fine. I'll get you a knife. But any hint of..."

Asuka didn't finished her train of thought. She didn't think Shinji could be that stupid, but neither did she want to speak about it.

Leaving the tent, she returned moments later with a small kitchen knife. It had been part of a set they had found at a nearby house. The set seemed to be newly bought by the previous owner, because the blades were still razor sharp. Handing the knife over to Shinji, Asuka sat back, though within reaching distance as she watched him.

Holding the knife in his hand, Shinji looked down at his own arms. While he had been sitting in the tent, he had remembered the white scars that covered his arms that he had discovered in the Geofront. With scars of that size, it was impossible for his arm to still be attached to his body. By all means, he should be missing an arm. He wasn't though, and the scars were significant, because he had likely acquired them during the nearly four months that he couldn't remember. So then how was it that he hadn't died of blood loss?

The answer, he suspected, lay in his body itself.

Gripping the knife tighter, he held up his other hand and drew the blade cleanly down the palm of his hand. He had done this so quickly, that Asuka didn't have time to react until a deep laceration had already formed on his palm.

"What the fuck are you doing you idiot!" shouted Asuka.

Though his palm stung and was coated in blood, Shinji didn't reply to Asuka. Since he had woken up on the beach of Tokyo-3, he had trekked all around the city, searching for anything that was useful or just walking to remember key areas of the city. During these travels, he had never incurred any injuries. Or maybe he had never gotten any, because they had just healed so fast, and he had never been aware. Cut and scrapes were a normal everyday occurrence, but his skin didn't show any sign of scabs. The only thing that was different, were the white scars that covered his arms, something which he should have remembered acquiring.

"Shinji, what are you-"

Again, he didn't reply, as Asuka continued yelling at him. He was too busy focused on his palm which was still dripping blood. Granted, if he was wrong about this, he wouldn't be able to grasp anything for a couple of days, and Asuka would surely give him hell for doing something so foolish.

Shinji thought his eyes were fooling him however. He blinked several times, thinking that he was tired, but he didn't think it was a mistake. The blood that was trickling out from the cut had subsided. In fact, the blood which had leaked out was flowing backwards into the wound. Asuka seemed to have noticed this too, because she immediately became quiet.

The blood slowly began to flow back into Shinji's wound, as though being rewound by something. Time seemed to be flowing in reverse, and the skin around Shinji's palm began to repair itself, first scabbing over, and then becoming pink as the destroyed tissue repaired itself. Almost as though it had never happened, Shinji palm looked as though he had never cut it seconds before.

Clenching and unclenching his fist several times, there was no difference in the way his hand felt.

"What just happened?" asked Asuka, completely amazed.

Holding out his arm, Shinji pointed to the scars that covered his arm.

"After you told me about my leg repairing itself unusually quick, I remembered the scars that covered my arm. Under normal circumstances, whatever cut me should have completely sliced off my arm, but all I got were these scars. That made me wonder if any wounds I get don't just automatically heal. I couldn't remember ever seeing a cut or scab since I woke up in Tokyo-3, so I decided to cut myself, and see what would happen."

"Then that was..."

"I don't know how or why, but my cells repair themselves much faster than a normal humans. Thats what it seems at least."

Holding out his palm so Asuka could see, Asuka looked questioningly back at him, before she traced a finger of hers along the line where the cut had been. There wasn't any trick to it; the wound was simply gone, no sign of it remaining.

"How is this possible?" mumbled Asuka.

"Something happened in those three months that must have changed my body somehow. I know I've gotten injured before as a kid, so this is just as new to me, as it is to you."

"That still doesn't answer the problem," said Asuka.

Shinji looked back at her, wondering how she felt on this. Even as he was cutting himself, he wasn't one hundred percent sure he knew he was correct, but a part of him seemed to know that something about him had changed. What was Asuka's feelings on this though?

"Are you scared?" asked Shinji.

Asuka's head whipped up to face him.

"Scared? No...surprised and confused yes, but not scared. Why?"

"I'm clearly different than you, and I don't even know why."

"Different in this aspect I suppose," said Asuka slowly, "but that still doesn't change who you are. I mean, you're still you."

This easy way of explaining this away, Asuka didn't know how much her words meant to Shinji. At the moment when his wound had healed, he had felt that there relationship would change. He was afraid that Asuka would look at him differently. He was glad that she didn't view him any other way.

"Were you afraid that I'd think you're some sort of monster?" Asuka nearly laughed.

"Can you blame me? My body is clearly different than your own."

"You're still the same idiot as far as I can tell," smirked Asuka.

Shinji himself laughed at that, blowing away the previous tension built up inside of him.

"Thanks for that Asuka."

"What? Calling you an idiot," retorted Asuka, her face briefly red. She knew what Shinji meant, but she brushed if off.

Standing up, Asuka stretched her legs and took the knife from Shinji, depositing it back in one of their backpacks. Stamping out the fire, she returned to the tent and sat down across from him. Shinji then began to tell Asuka about the other unusual things he had noticed, such as not tiring out no matter what he did. Lastly, he finally decided to tell her about the vision he had had in the Geofront about Misato's death. Though what he said greatly shocked Asuka, there wasn't anyway he could be lying, since he had described Misato exactly.

Finishing with his story, they sat in silence, Asuka thinking on what he had said.

"Have you had any more of these...visions, or whatever you call them?"

"No, thats the only one. Though it might have been triggering a lost memory."

"Maybe. If you were there during her death, then I could see that. But I don't know."

They were grasping at straws now, trying to make sense of the pieces they had been left with.

"You should get some rest," Asuka said eventually. "Even if your leg doesn't take long to heal, its still a good idea to rest in the meantime."

"What will you do?"

"Stay awake for a couple more hours I guess," shrugged Asuka.

"Okay," said Shinji glancing at her briefly, before he turned on his side. Even if he didn't say anything, Asuka could still tell that his leg was still painful.

"God, I feel like his nurse,' thought Asuka.

Though it was still early, Shinji fell asleep shortly after this conversation, leaving Asuka continuing to think about their predicament, and more importantly, the changes within Shinji. She believed him when he said something likely changed within him during those three months. The question was, how large were those changes, and would they see more in the days to come?


	12. Warmth

**Surprise Update! I've no idea why, but after finishing that last chapter, I just really wanted to keep writing, so this one took me about four days to finish I think. Plus, I was reading some other things recently, so that probably got me in the mood to write a chapter like this. But I'll talk more after this.**

* * *

><p>Shinji slept rather fitfully that night. He awoke many times owing to the pain racking his body, and once or twice had to prevent himself from screaming. During these times he suddenly awoke though, he always turned on his side and saw Asuka sleep near him. She was so close in fact, that if Shinji wanted, he could reach and and caress her hair. Seeing Asuka in such close proximity to him, he was glad that she was near, since the thought comforted him slightly. He supposed that incase anything serious were to happen to him, Asuka would be there in a heartbeat to help him. It was really amazing how far they had come in terms of their relationship.<p>

He awoke several times during the night, but typically fell asleep shortly afterwards. This back and forth happened many times, directly until the sun began to rise, casting dark shadows of the nearby trees across the damp grass in the park.

Asuka awoke shortly after the sun rose. For the next few days, she would have to get used to waking up this early. Even so, as she unzipped the sleeping bag wrapped around her, she was immediately assaulted by the bitter bite of cold. The temperature had clearly plummeted during the night. Turning her head towards Shinji, she was glad to see that he was still asleep at least. She had been awake during some of the moments when he had awoken because of his leg, but she hadn't said anything to him.

Stretching, she slowly crawled her way out of the sleeping bag and poked her head out of the tents flap. It definitely seemed like they were in the month of November, and winter was starting to creep up on them. They hadn't thought about what they would do during the winter, but it didn't seem like they would have long to think about it. The seasonal change wasn't going to wait for them.

Lighting a fire, Asuka spent several minutes crouched beside it, warming her hands up until she started making breakfast. She had hardly cooked rice before, even though she understood what was required, but she had to admit after she tasted some, that the way Shinji made it was more tender. Ultimately, food was food she supposed.

Even after she finished cooking, she kept stacking more wood onto the fire. She had a feeling that they would need to keep it going all day. The wind that was blowing was ice cold, and Asuka guessed that the temperature had to be around fifty degrees. The sun was beating down on her, but its rays hardly warmed her. She wished that she had gotten some gloves when they had last been in Tokyo-3. Instead, she threw on the red sweatshirt that Shinji had gotten for her when she had still been unable to move.

She sat hunched beside the fire, unsure of what time it was. Not quite noon yet, but it had to be approaching. She didn't want to wake Shinji up, preferring to let him sleep for as long as necessary. Hopefully, his dreams were more peaceful than the current situation. Even if his body was rather unusual, a broken bone was still painful.

Sighing rather heavily, Asuka wondered when she had started caring about Shinji so much. It had never been her nature to care about anybody but herself. Being with Shinji constantly though, at some point she must have just gotten used to waking up every day to see him already awake with breakfast almost done. Was this usual for two people who spent every minute of their lives together, or was it because they were stuck together? If it hadn't been just Shinji and herself, but several other people that had been on that beach, would they have grown as close as they were currently? Asuka knew that they shared certain similarities, and that they both had deep roots in Nerv, but would they have realized those things if it hadn't been just the two of them?

'Why am I thinking about this so much?' wondered Asuka as she tucked her hands inside her sweatshirt pockets.

During the events of the past two days, Asuka had been constantly worrying about Shinji, whether it had been the collapse of the building, his leg, or his strange ability to recover from wounds. Asuka had never thought about him as much as she had done in the last few days. Though the reasons seemed simple enough when Asuka broke them down into there most basic form, she still had difficulties answering the questions that were plaguing her heart. Caring about somebody beside herself was a feeling she had never felt before.

'I don't even know anymore,' thought Asuka as she buried her face in her arms, her brilliantly colored hair spilling across her arms.

Her thoughts were interrupted however, as she heard a slight noise coming from the tent. Looking in that direction, she heard the shifting of the sleeping bag as somebody was moving.

"You out there Asuka?" came Shinji's voice.

"Yeah, give me a minute," said Asuka as she tried to shake away her thoughts.

Gathering Shinji's portion of rice, she brought it into the tent. His face was less pale then it had been yesterday, so it seemed that simply resting seemed to be working. If his body did repair wounds unusually quickly, then it was only a matter of time until he was healed completely.

"Thanks," said Shinji as Asuka passed the bowl of rice to him.

"I don't think its as good as you make it, but-"

"Rice is still rice," said Shinji as he interrupted her. "Don't worry about it."

Asuka hid her embarrassment at his words, and looked away from him.

"Is it really cold, or is it just me?" asked Shinji after he ate several bites.

"No, its not just you. I noticed when I got up as well. Seems like its getting close to winter."

"Winter...huh..." mumbled Shinji.

Shinji seemed to be thinking about the same thing that Asuka had been thinking about earlier. What exactly were they gonna do if the temperature got too cold, or below freezing? Japan wasn't exactly the warmest place during the winter.

"You cold at all?" asked Asuka.

"I can deal with it. What about you though?"

"I'll manage," replied Asuka. "More importantly though, how does your leg feel?"

"See for yourself," said Shinji.

Though wincing slightly as Shinji shifting his leg, he laid it out flat for Asuka to see. The swelling had almost completely vanished, and the color was starting to come back to Shinji's leg.

"Even if you can regenerate wounds, this is still unbelievable that it could be moving this quickly."

"It still hurts of course," said Shinji, "but I think I'll be able to walk in a few days."

"A few days? I estimated one to two weeks, and even that was generous."

"I think that the recovery is speeding up though," mumbled Shinji.

"What makes you say that?" asked Asuka.

"I don't really know how to put it into words," replied Shinji honestly. "Its like, something that was dormant inside of me is now waking up. Because of my broken leg, whatever happened to me during those three months I can't remember must have started again. Its a very strange feeling."

"You seem normal enough to me," shrugged Asuka. "You done with that?" she asked as she pointed towards the bowl in his hand.

"Ah, yeah," replied Shinji as he passed her the bowl.

Dumping the bowl outside, Asuka went back inside the tent and knelt down beside Shinji. Looking back at her questioningly, Shinji saw that Asuka was biting her lips slightly.

"Considering you've been inside the tent for two days, I thought you might want to stay outside for a while," began Asuka, "I've got the fire still going, and sitting beside it is more comfortable than staying in here so..."

Shinji gazed back at her rather stunned that she was suggesting this, though he was rather grateful. He had gotten annoyed with being cooped up in here the entire time.

"Thanks," said Shinji.

"Don't mention it," mumbled Asuka.

Thankfully, the tent was tall enough for them to stand nearly upright, and Shinji was able to place his arm around Asuka's shoulders as she led him outside. Shinji had actually forgotten, that it had once been his job to help Asuka like this when she hadn't been able to walk. That memory seemed so ancient now, even though it had hardly been two months.

As they reached the fire, Asuka gently lowered Shinji to the ground. Though it would have been nice if they actually had some logs to sit on, moving something like that here would have been too tiring.

"I'll brew some tea," said Asuka as she grabbed a kettle and several tea bags.

"Sounds good," said Shinji as he stared into the depths of the fire. As Asuka busied herself, Shinji couldn't help but glance at her occasionally. He wondered if Asuka was thinking about the fact that their positions had changed. Well, even if she did, she probably wouldn't say anything.

Asuka passed a warm cup of tea to Shinji, and he clasped it between his hands, enjoying the added warmth. Though it was still early in the day, it was unbelievable how cold it had gotten. Sipping the tea slowly, he glanced at Asuka who had just poured her own cup, and was surprised when she walked over to him, and sat down beside him. Very rarely had they sat beside the fire together, and Shinji was very conscious about their arms brushing against each other.

"Something wrong?" Shinji asked.

"No, not really," mumbled Asuka, "just wondering about a few things I guess."

"...Like?"

"If the weather suddenly takes a turn for the worse is the first. We'd be unable to continue staying here most likely."

"You have a point," nodded Shinji. "So then, did you have something in mind?"

Asuka didn't immediately reply, debating with something internally.

"Well, you did say something before Shinji, about living in a house or apartment," said Asuka in a subdued voice

Shinji blinked several times after she said this. Was Asuka suggesting what he thought?

"Nothing permanent of course," said Asuka hurriedly. "Just in case it gets too cold...or starts snowing I guess. Somewhere warm to stay for the winter at least. I'd rather not freeze to death when there are thousands of empty houses around us."

"Hmm, you do have a point," agreed Shinji.

"Then we agree on that?"

"Yeah, though someplace that has a fireplace as well would be welcome."

"I suppose just staying in a house wouldn't be enough. Alright, thats settled at least."

"Was there something else you were thinking about?" asked Shinji

"Ah...well...kinda, I guess. Its not really important though."

Shinji glanced to his right at Asuka's face, trying to determine what expression she was making. She had her hands held tightly on the cup of tea, the same as his were. Her face didn't reveal any sort of worry though.

"If theres nothing else then..." muttered Shinji.

Asuka didn't reply as she stood up. She had debated on whether to ask Shinji about the strange feeling he had had, but wasn't sure how to brooch the subject. Either way, she wasn't sure what she could exactly say that would make him feel better.

'Jeez, I'm still worrying about him,' thought Asuka briefly before she poured the remaining tea from her cup into the fire.

* * *

><p>As the day waned on, and night grew closer, the temperature continued to drop. Asuka kept the fire roaring, so they still had a source of warmth at least. Without any clouds in sight either, it was reassuring that it wouldn't rain.<p>

They talked occasionally, but Asuka had given Shinji his SDAT at one point, and he had immersed himself in his music, while Asuka had continued reading her book. This continued for sometime until Asuka asked what Shinji wanted for dinner. Having never been asked this question by anybody, Shinji wasn't sure how to reply. Inevitably, Shinji just shrugged and told Asuka whatever she made would be fine. This wasn't the answer Asuka had wanted, but she sighed all the same and started cooking.

Being this the first time Shinji had seen Asuka cook, he couldn't help but glance at her when she had her back turned to him. Once or twice, their eyes crossed paths, and Shinji thought he caught a small smirk from Asuka's lips every time this happened. He wasn't vocal about what she was doing like yesterday, but this was because he was much more calm. Though still unable to move as he pleased, at least he wasn't stuck in that tent like a caged bird.

The aroma of something began wafting in Shinji's direction, and he even removed his earbuds to concentrate better on the smell. It was familiar to him in a certain way, but not because somebody else had cooked it for him before. Call it something that was usual for Japanese culture. Seeing Asuka cook it though...needless to say, their was an unusual feeling engraved within him.

Seeing Shinji looking towards her, Asuka couldn't help but ask, "Did you recognize it?"

"Yeah, but I'm more surprised that you managed to make fried rice without a wok."

"Well, it certainly wasn't easy. And I wouldn't necessarily call it fried rice since it doesn't have egg or any kind of meat. Not to mention, that without a wok, a lot of the rice stuck to the pot itself. I'm actually surprised you never thought to find one."

"It never crossed my mind honestly," said Shinji. "Still it smells really good."

Asuka didn't reply, mainly because her cheeks had heated up at his complement.

Moments later, the fried rice was done, and Asuka scooped the rice into two bowls. Shinji had said before that rice was one thing they'd never have any problems acquiring, so Asuka wasn't stingy on the portions. Asuka passed Shinji a bowl, and he immediately began eating. The steamed vegetables and rice blended well together, and Asuka had sautéed the vegetables in a minute amount of soy sauce to give it extra flavor.

"I take it you like it?" asked Asuka.

"Yeah, its really good."

"Hmmm," muttered Asuka rather absent minded.

"Something wrong?" asked Shinji, surprised by her lack of response.

"Nope," said Asuka as she sat down beside him; she was smiling slightly.

Once again, Shinji was surprised by Asuka's decision to sit beside him. Since the whole event with the building collapsing, Asuka's attitude towards him seemed to have changed. Shinji wondered why that was, but didn't feel like asking either. He wasn't afraid of the answer, he just didn't think Asuka would supply an answer. Well, her actions were enough he supposed.

They ate in relative silence as they were want to do, their arms and shoulders constantly bumping into each other as they maneuvered their spoons from the bowl to their mouths. Though Shinji felt a hint of embarrassment, he couldn't deny that sitting beside Asuka like this, with the fire blazing in front of them, and a bowl of rice each between them was relaxing. If days like this could continue, that would be enough for Shinji.

That thought though, would never hold, and Shinji probably knew it wouldn't. Something was different about him, and he could feel it growing inside of him nearly every minute. He hadn't mentioned it to Asuka, because he didn't want to worry her further; he had done enough of that in the past two days. Eventually, the subject would be brought up though, whether he wanted it to or not.

After they finished, Asuka placed the two bowls to the side and covered up the pot. There was still a lot of the rice left, and it would likely become their breakfast tomorrows. Sitting back beside Shinji, she stretched her arms upwards, looking as though she was reaching for the sky.

"You seem to be in a good mood," remarked Shinji.

"Do I?" asked Asuka. "Maybe I am, I'm not really sure."

She laughed lightly at that, and Shinji felt himself smiling.

Afterwards, Asuka helped Shinji back to the tent since it was getting increasingly darker. Returning outside, Asuka battled on whether to extinguish the fire or not for nearly a minute, until she decide it was best to douse it. It was smarter than on the off chance it would run wild.

Crawling back into the tent, Asuka frowned as she saw Shinji attempting to insert his injured leg into the sleeping bag. Sighing, Asuka knelt down to help him.

"Hear, let me do it," mumbled Asuka.

"No, I can do this myself," retorted Shinji rather stubbornly.

Asuka was reminded of a somewhat similar situation, where their roles had been reversed. It was like some force was toying with their lives.

"Remember when I couldn't get my shoes on, and you had to help me?"

Shinji pause as Asuka said this; did something like that happen? He couldn't remember it very well if it had.

"Seems like you forgot," said Asuka as she gently picked up Shinji's leg and helped him move it into the sleeping bag. "I still remember it though," said Asuka as she continued speaking, "because it was probably the moment when I felt the most helpless. I wasn't able to do even a simple thing like putting my shoes on. I hated how you helped me back then, but it doesn't bother me anymore. Basically, let me repay you for those times right now, at least until your leg is healed."

"Asuka, I would have managed it eventually. And you don't have to repay me for anything," complained Shinji.

"Quiet," said Asuka harshly. "I'm doing this for you whether you want me to or not."

Shinji looked back at Asuka, but there wasn't any way to get past her stubbornness. Resigning himself, Shinji leaned backwards onto the ground and mumbled something inaudibly.

"What did you say?" asked Asuka, her eyebrows raising.

"Nothing," said Shinji hurriedly.

"You just called me stubborn, didn't you." Her voice had grown sharp.

"No, I-"

Shinji was cut off as Asuka pinched his cheek hard.

"Ow! Asuka quit it!"

"Can't you just shut up and not open your mouth for once!"

Asuka let go and turned around in a huff, retreating towards her own sleeping bag. Laying down on it, she didn't say another word to Shinji. Shinji had almost forgotten what it was like to see Asuka angry, and so this sudden change surprised him somewhat. Course, her words as well hung above him as he remembered them. Was it because he had called her stubborn, or was it another reason entirely?

"Well, its not like she'll stay mad at me."

Shinji was right about this, as later on during the night, when they had both fallen asleep, Shinji found himself turning in his sleeping bag, his two legs intertwining, and the sharp pain from his injured one awaking him. He heard something else though, and looked towards his right. His eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness, but he could barely make out the thin outline of somebody near him.

"Sorry...did I wake you?" asked Asuka. She was sitting up, and looked as though she had been in the process of moving her sleeping bag.

"No," said Shinji as he shook his head, noticing her tone. "I bumped my injured leg is all."

"...I see," said Asuka as she looked away from him.

Silence engulfed them, and Shinji was unsure whether he should ask the question which seemed relevant at the moment. Something else distracted him though. Looking up at the tent, he hadn't noticed it before, but now could hear the quiet sound of rain sprinkling down onto their tent.

"Its raining?" wondered Shinji out loud.

"Mmm," was all Asuka replied.

Shinji noticed something else then; the cold that was revolving around was undeniable. Was that it then?

"Are you cold?" asked Shinji.

Asuka didn't reply, her gaze fixed towards the front of the tent. Well, Shinji didn't have a problem with what Asuka had been about to do. It wasn't as though it was a first for them anyway.

Slowly, Shinji rolled onto his side facing away from Asuka. Predictably, Shinji heard the quite movements as Asuka neared him, and then, heard a small 'thud' as Asuka lay down beside him. Her back was pressed against his, and his against hers. It was surprising how the distance between them had shrunk to what it was now.

"Thanks," came Asuka's voice directly next to him.

"Don't be thanking me, and don't worry about this either. If you're cold...don't hesitate to..."

Shinji left his sentence hanging, unsure what he had been about to say. Was there anything for him to say though? No, he supposed there really wasn't. Course, he could only assume what would happen when he awoke in the morning. He'd worry about that when it happened.

Maybe because his leg wasn't as painful as the night before, but Shinji found it easier to fall back asleep. Beside him, Asuka found it similarly easy, but for a different reason entirely.

* * *

><p>Asuka was first to awake, and briefly wished that she hadn't. The first thing she saw was Shinji's face directly next to hers, and you probably would have expected her to shout, groan, or hit him. She did none of these things, except simply frown at his sleeping face before sitting up. Resting the palm of her hand against her cheek, she glanced down at his sleeping face, wondering why they always ended up that way. Well, whatever.<p>

Getting up properly took several attempts. Though the rain had stopped, the air was bone chilling and the ground had frosted over. Once or twice, Asuka even lay back down beside Shinji, before sitting promptly back upright. It was incredibly cold, but if she started moving around, at least she would warm up. That and getting the fire relit was necessary.

As she started to get the fire lit, she alternated between warming up her hands by shoving them into the pocket of her jeans, and trying to have the flame from the lighter catch. By the time she had final got the fire going, she could hardly feel her hands, and spent several minutes holding them close to the fire to warm them up.

She reheated the fried rice they she had made last night, and ate her own portion first. As she did this, she looked up to the sky, and couldn't help but shiver briefly. The rain had stopped, but the dark clouds were still hanging overhead. If the sky were to suddenly open up, Asuka was worried that they may have to leave. Even if it didn't though, she didn't know how much longer they could deal with this cold.

She busied herself around their camp, trying to keep herself occupied until Shinji woke up, all the while glancing upwards towards the sky. It was nearly an hour later when she heard movement from the tent, and looked over to see Shinji's head poking through the front flap of the tent.

"What are you doing?" asked Asuka as she walked over to him.

"Seeing what you were doing," replied Shinji

"Thats not what I meant," said Asuka as she shook her head. "Why are you moving around?"

"I'm not putting any weight on my bad leg if that is what you're asking."

Inspecting further, Asuka saw that Shinji had used his sleep bag to slide across the ground, and used his arms to pull him forward.

"You really are an idiot, you know that?" sighed Asuka.

Shinji didn't reply though, because he had noticed the dark sky, and was looking up at it. Noticing this, Asuka followed her gaze and looked upwards as well.

"That doesn't look very good," said Shinji.

"No...I didn't think so either."

Directing his gaze towards Asuka, Shinji voiced his opinion.

"Maybe we should leave before it starts raining. It may be smarter than to risk a sudden downpour. And I don't know if you'll be able to get me up the slope once it starts raining."

Asuka hadn't thought about that, but Shinji certainly had a point. Maybe it was better for them to leave now.

"Okay, you eat then while I start packing," said Asuka as she grabbed what remained of the fried rice and handed it to Shinji.

"Hmm, okay."

While Shinji ate, Asuka started gathering up everything they collectively owned, and began storing it all in the car. It was amazing how much stuff they had accumulated over the course of the two months they had been together, and Asuka made many trips to the car until all that was left was to pack away the tent. Before doing that though, Asuka helped Shinji to his feet, and led him up the sloping hill. It was difficult, and Asuka was glad that Shinji had suggested they did this before the ground got slippery. Even without the ground being wet, Asuka still had difficulty getting Shinji up the hill.

Once Shinji was safe inside the car, Asuka spent several minutes disassembling the tent. She was further glad they had decide to move sooner then later, when it started to rain. It started slowly, and then began picking up. Quickly, Asuka's hair and clothes became soaked through, and it was only the warmth of the sweatshirt that prevented her from shivering immensely. Hoping that she wouldn't catch a cold, she finished rolling up the tent, and slung it over her shoulder, carrying it up the hill and storing it away in the car.

Entering through the driver side door, Asuka sat down and grabbed a towel from the back and quickly dried her hair.

"You were right Shinji," began Asuka as she continued drying her hair. "It was a good thing we left when we did."

"Now what though?" asked Shinji.

"Leave that to me," said Asuka as she started the car, and threw it into gear.

As they left the park, the downpour started, and the windshield of their car was quickly being peppered by large droplets of rain. Still, Asuka drove onward calmly, ignoring the rain pounding against the car. Unfortunately for them though, the station wagon they were driving lacked a heater, and the inside of the car quickly became cold. Shinji tried his best to remain warm, by tucking his arms into the inside of his shirt, but even that didn't help. Asuka on the other hand was driving, and her clothes were still thoroughly soaked. Still, she didn't complain once.

As they drove, Shinji couldn't help but wonder what Asuka had in mind. She had said to leave it to her, but did she actually have an idea where they were headed? Well, Shinji decided to just trust her.

They drove around for another twenty minutes until Asuka turned right, taking them down a residential street. Parking the car in front of a house, Asuka got out and turned towards Shinji.

"Wait here for a bit, I'm gonna look around at some of these houses. Hopefully one of them has a fireplace that isn't electric."

Shinji nodded, and watched her run up to the first house on the block, hoping that she would be careful.

They had never been in this block of houses before, so the first thing that Asuka was forced to do was break in. They had broken into houses before, either by kicking in the front door, breaking a window, or something else. Some houses didn't require this, and that made Asuka suspect that when Third Impact had happened, some people had been inside their houses when they had vanished. Therefore, she was pleasantly surprised when she tried the front door, and the knob turned, letting her enter.

Passing through the front door, she ascended up two small carpeted steps and stepped into what must have been the living room. A large, flatscreen T.V. gleamed back at her that hung on a far wall to her left. Directly in front of that was a large couch, capable of seating three people. A large bookcase covered the wall to the right of the couch, and on the left, was a large window that showed the corner of the residential street.

Asuka glanced at the many photos that hung on the walls around the living room, determining that a couple in their sixties used to live here. Photos of their children, and grandchildren pocketed the many different photos, along with other relatives. None of it mattered anymore, and this made Asuka slightly sad.

Attempting to ignore this, she entered into the kitchen which was divided by a wall, separating the living room from itself. A repugnant smell hit Asuka then, and she recoiled as she fought the urge to vomit. She didn't dare open the refrigerator, knowing what she would find.

Leaving this room, she entered back into the living room and then went down a long hallway. At the very end of the hallway was the master bedroom, but she ignored this and entered into the guest bedroom instead. A single bed sat in the far corner of the room, and was clearly meant to be for a child. The bedsheets had some cartoon characters face plastered over it that Asuka didn't recognize, though it must have been something unique to Japan. Looking at the rest of the room, there was a small dresser with a mirror above it, and several toys scattered across the floor. After seeing this, Asuka backed out of the room, unwilling to think who might have once been here.

Walking down the rest of the hallway, she entered into the master bedroom. A king size bed took up much of the back wall, and a small table sat on either side. Several magazines covered one, while a simple alarm clock sat on the other. A large dresser was on the wall opposite of the bed, and Asuka briefly thought about going through it. A walk in closet was off to the side as well, beside a large bathroom, but Asuka decided that she would stop here. It was clear that this house didn't have a fireplace.

Leaving the house, she closed the front door and glanced towards the car. She saw Shinji sitting in the passenger seat, and his head turned towards her briefly. Asuka shook her head as there eyes made contact and Shinji nodded briefly before slouching back into his seat, trying to keep warm.

The rain continued coming down around Asuka as she walked from one house to the next, crossing back and forth across the street, looking for a house that had a fireplace. Each time she left a house, she locked eyes with Shinji and shook her head. She had already done this six times, and was wondering if she shouldn't just try driving someplace else. Every house they had entered before didn't have a fireplace that she could remember though, so she didn't have a clue as to where to start.

As she entered the seventh house on the left side of the street, she paused, and glanced upwards, looking at the clouds. The rain was still coming down around her, and Asuka had started sneezing occasionally. She had hoped that it would let up for a while, just so that she could dry herself off. Nature didn't seem to want to conform to her wishes however.

Stepping through the threshold of the front door, her eyes immediately latched onto a square opening, cut out against the wall on the far left side of where she was standing. Asuka almost felt like laughing when she saw this, and walked over, running her hand across the mantlepiece. A thick layer of dust was blown off, covering the stone floor in front of the fireplace. Kneeling down, she examined the fireplace closer, opening the glass panel. Charcoaled wood was still placed inside, but would unlikely catch. Against the wall, directly next to the fireplace, was a fire poker, and further on down against the wall, was a small iron cage, that had several piece of dry firewood stacked there.

Trying to hold back the joy that was filling her, Asuka examined the rest of the house. The ceiling that hung above her was low hanging, which would mean that the heat from the fire would circulate longer in the enclosed space. A couch for two was placed several paces away from the fireplace, with several armchairs and tables placed evenly throughout. To the left of this, was a window and in front of that, was a glass table that had a small lamp with many pictures on it. Asuka examined these briefly, before pulling her gaze away.

Checking the other rooms in the house, Asuka realized that this house had two living rooms, one which had the fireplace, and another which had a flatscreen T.V. resting on a stand. This other living room was significantly smaller, and only had a single couch in it with a table beside the T.V.

Leaving this second living room, Asuka checked the kitchen. Unfortunately, it had an electric stove, so cooking on that was out of the question. Checking the many wooden cupboards, she was pleasantly surprised to find a large assortment of china, complete with plates, bowls, and cups. Asuka found a drawer of silverware as well, with several utensils that she knew they didn't have. Checking a bottom cupboard, she found several more pots and pans along with a large mixing bowl. All in all, most of these things she found were useful. She purposefully stayed away from the refrigerator, even though she didn't smell anything coming from it.

Leaving the kitchen, she approached the large staircase. The railing was made of oak, and the stairs were carpeted. She climbed the first flight, and then turned on the landing, climbing the second set of stairs. Fours different doors stretched outwards before her. She chose the closest one on her right and opened it. A gleaming white bathroom appeared before her eyes. Asuka suddenly wished she could take a bath for once, but knew that such a thing was impossible without plumbing.

Returning to the hallway, she entered the door directly across from the bathroom and entered. Clearly a guest bedroom, with little decor if any, except the single bed, dresser and mirror. Opening the small closet, there wasn't even a single article of clothing.

Leaving this room, she walked down the hallway and opened the door on her left, another room, this one seeming to be for a child. A crib was against the wall closest to Asuka, and on the other end, was a small bed. Asuka remembered the photos she had seen earlier, remembering the face of the couple and their two daughters. Trying to ignore the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, Asuka entered into the last room, being the master bedroom.

It was certainly the largest of the three bedrooms, complete with a king sized bed, two large dressers, and a single mirror. A side door was across from the bed, and Asuka opened this to reveal an adjacent bathroom. Ignoring this, Asuka returned to the bed, and crawled onto it, standing up. A single window hung above the bed, and if Asuka stood on her tiptoes, she could see the street below her, along with Shinji waiting in the car. Thinking the time was right to share this with him, she left the bedroom, jogged down the stairs, and left through the front door.

Shinji saw her approaching, and was surprised that she was running, despite clearly having the rain and wind whipping against her face. Rolling down the window, Shinji was about to ask her what happened, but before he even got a chance to, Asuka cut him off.

"Shinji," started Asuka breathlessly, "I...found a...house with a fireplace. I think it'll work."

"You did?" said Shinji, his mouth slightly open.

"Yeah."

Without further explanation, Asuka jumped into the drivers seat, started the ignition, and drove a short ways down the street before she parked in the driveway of the house. The house had a garage, but Asuka hadn't even bothered to check that yet.

Getting out of the car, Asuka went around the side and opened the passenger door, helping Shinji out, and led him up the front steps to the door. The house was of western design, light grey with white trim around the windows and door frame. The roof arched upwards, ending in a pointed triangle. Before Shinji stepped through the front door, he took all this in. Since it was on a residential street, the front yard wasn't much to speak of, mainly made up of bark.

Asuka brought him into the first room she had entered, sitting him down on the couch in front of the fire place.

"Wait here for a bit. I"m gonna start bringing in a few things."

"Okay," replied Shinji as he craned his neck back, watching Asuka as she rushed out the front door. She certainly seemed to be in a good mood.

Looking at his surroundings, Shinji took in the fireplace and its surrounding items, his eyes falling on the stack of wood nearby. With that amount, it would probably last them a couple days at the very least. It was something to start with at least.

Turning to his left, he looked at the table against the far window that held all the photos. He could just make out the images of a family in one of the larger photos. He was curious about who had lived here before Third Impact, but at the same time, that thought seemed rather rude.

Hearing hurrying feet behind him, Shinji turned to look behind, and saw Asuka carrying several things in her outstretched arms. Shinji would have helped, but he knew that if he even tried to stand up without Asuka's assistance, she would certainly yell at him. Instead, Shinji didn't have much choice to watch as Asuka made trip after trip from the car to the inside of the house. She didn't make any attempt to sort out the items, so they were strewn across the floor several feet from the door. They would have time for that later.

After several more minutes passed by, Asuka returned with the final trip, shutting the door behind her as she did. Shinji didn't know why, but the moment that Asuka closed the door behind herself, he felt a certain pressure suddenly weighing down on him. Were they going to stay here for the rest of the winter? Living in the outdoors was one thing, but staying in a house with Asuka seemed different, even if there was much more space. Shinji had once suggested this idea before, when they had first come to Tokyo-2, but the reality of what was actually happening was different then what he had imagined.

"Well, I brought almost everything except for the stuff for the tent. I figured I'd leave it there for the time being, though maybe it would have been better to move it into the garage," said Asuka with her head cocked slightly to the side as she puzzled over this.

"Doesn't make much difference either way," shrugged Shinji.

"No, I don't suppose it doesn't," said Asuka as she stood behind him, pressing her hands down on the edge of the couch.

Neither of them spoke for several seconds, both realizing the sudden shift in there living situation. Was it truly right for them to be staying here for the time being? Somebody else had lived here until recently, and probably somebody before them. Was it okay for them to be staying here even though they didn't belong?

"I think I'll get the fire started," said Asuka.

"Some extra warmth would be welcome," agreed Shinji.

Shinji felt the pressure from Asuka's hands leave the couch, and noticed her presence disappearing behind him. She had gone into another room, though for what, Shinji wasn't sure.

Asuka returned shortly, with several crumpled up, brightly colored, pieces of paper. 'For extra kindling,' as she put it. Opening the glass door, she place two of the crumpled pieces into the fireplace, and then grabbed two of the dry pieces of wood, and stacked them on top. Taking the lighter out of her jeans pocket, she lit one end of the paper, and watched the flame spread. Closing the glass door, she watched the wood begin to catch, and she sat back, enjoying the warmth from the new fire. Slowly, Shinji began to feel the warmth of the fire caressing his face as well, and slouched back into the cushions. It couldn't be called home, but it was certainly comfortable.

"Ah...this is relaxing," said Asuka as she laid down on the carpet. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this relaxed.

After several minutes passed, Shinji began to noticed his eyes drooping slowly. The combination of the fire and the couch was putting him to sleep.

"Hey, Asuka."

"Mmm...what? I'm resting."

"You did a good job finding this place."

Looking upward at him from where she lay on the carpet, she smirked and said, "Of course. Since I chose this place, its perfect."

Swinging her legs upward, she sat up suddenly and turned around to face him. It was the first good look that Shinji had seen of Asuka since she had started looking around at the different houses. Her hair was drenched and her clothes were clearly soaked through. Shinji was surprised that she wasn't shivering. The last thing they needed was for Asuka to get a cold right now.

"You should probably change out of those clothes."

"What makes you say that?" asked Asuka.

"Because you getting a cold while I've still got a bad leg is possibly the worse thing that could happen right now."

Shinji truthfully said this, but it still caused Asuka to blush briefly.

"You have a point I guess," said Asuka as she looked away from him.

Standing up, she went behind the couch and Shinji heard the shuffling of clothes as she went through the pile. Straightening up, Asuka left the room with a single pair of jeans and shirt clutched in her hands. Shinji was almost surprised that Asuka hadn't said something about not peeking at her while she changed.

A short while later, Asuka returned to the living room, clad in a new pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt. Her wet clothes, she placed in a pile beside the fireplace, deciding that it would be best to let them dry off. Shinji watched her do this, and was surprised when she turned towards him, and plopped herself down on the cushion beside him.

"Ah, I almost forgot what this felt like," sighed Asuka gently, tilting her head backwards.

They were warm and comfortable now, while the rain continued coming down outside. They could hear it cascading down on the roof above their heads, and hitting the window near them. Shinji thought they had made the right decision.

Suddenly, Shinji felt something bump into his shoulder. His eyes darted to their left, and saw the top of somebody's head leaning against him.

"Um...Asuka..." started Shinji slowly.

Waiting several seconds, Asuka didn't reply or give any sign that she heard him. Carefully, Shinji moved himself forward ever so slightly, getting a better look at Asuka's face.

'Well, she did work hard,' thought Shinji as he saw her face. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing softly, clearly fast asleep. Still, having Asuka sleeping against him was causing Shinji's heart to run wild. On the other hand, waking her up or moving was also a problem.

'Guess I'll just deal with it then,' thought Shinji as he leaned back into the couch, the warmth of Asuka still pressing against his side.

* * *

><p>Shinji dozed in and out of sleep, never quite knowing when he was sleeping, or when he was awake. The warmth of the fireplace was continually threatening to put him into a deep slumber, but he battled against it. Asuka gave no sign that she was waking any time soon, so this was an added worry to Shinji. Whenever she woke up though, Shinji didn't think it would be pleasant.<p>

Again, he felt himself dozing off, and tried fighting against it, shaking his head furiously as he did so. It seemed like this had another affect though.

A low groan came from the person leaning against him. Asuka slowly stretched her arms up, nearly knocking her hand into the side of Shinji's head as she did. Yawning widely, she blinking several times, her vision coming into focus. She saw the fireplace in front of her, several feet away from where she sat. Even with the fire though, she felt incredibly warm. Or was it just the one side of her that felt considerably warm. Directing her eyes to her right, she latched onto someones pant leg, and then followed a line upwards towards their face. Blinking several times, Asuka realized that her nose was almost touching Shinji's, their lips mere inches apart.

"WAAAAAHHHHH!"

Asuka threw herself backwards against the farthest edge of the couch away from Shinji, which truthfully wasn't very far, and Asuka ended up falling off the couch in the process.

"W-W-Why was I was sleeping next to you!?"

"You're the one that fell asleep, so don't blame me!" retorted Shinji.

"You could have moved instead of staying there!"

"Oh, yeah, just let me limp away from you then. Besides, if I had moved and woke you anyway, you would have been just as angry!"

"I'm angry now damn it!" said Asuka as she stomped her foot; her face was incredibly red. Shinji suspected that his was red as well, and not simply because of the warmth from the fire.

"Oh, forget it," groaned Asuka as she stormed off into the other room, her feet echoing off the walls.

Shinji didn't bother watching her leave; he was annoyed with the situation as well, for a multitude of reasons.

"...Hey."

Shinji turned at the sound of Asuka's voice, and saw her standing in the opening to the other room.

"You hungry?"

"...Sorta," was Shinji's quiet reply.

"...All make something then."

Shinji didn't hear from her for twenty minutes after that. When Asuka finally did reappear in the open doorway, she was carrying two bowls of soup. Considering that Shinji hadn't heard anything from her for sometime, Shinji didn't have a clue as to how she had accomplished this. Seeing his expression however, Asuka just sighed and passed him one of the bowls, explaining what she had done.

"The people that lived here had some canned food already, and I made something with that. If you're asking how I cooked it, then they've got a grill in their backyard."

"And the bowl and spoons?"

"Both this houses former residences," replied Asuka. "The canned food should last a week at the most, and plus we brought enough food to last another week as well."

"What are you thinking?"

"Just a precaution I guess," shrugged Asuka.

Their former argument nearly forgotten, Shinji sat on the couch and ate, while Asuka leaned against a nearby wall and did likewise. After they finished, Asuka took the bowls and deposited them in the sink. It felt strange placing dishes in an object which hadn't held any meaning to them in a while. With that done, Asuka helped Shinji around the rest of the house, showing him the different rooms. One thing that was helpful about living in a house now, was that Shinji could move around to a certain extent, as long as he used his hand to brace himself against objects. He did have difficulty making it up the two flights of stairs, but as long as he paced himself, and made sure to clutch the railing, he didn't have any problems.

The last room that Asuka showed him was the master bedroom, and Shinji decided to rest for a minute, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"So there are three different bedrooms in this house."

"Two," mumbled Asuka quietly.

Glancing over at her, Shinji supposed that she did have a point. Something about occupying a child's bedroom just felt inherently wrong.

"Two then...one for each of us."

"Finally we wont be sleeping in the same place anymore. I'm tired of waking up and seeing you next to me."

Shinji didn't think it was as bad as Asuka was making it out to be, but he didn't say anything.

"Who gets what though?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who gets what room?"

"Isn't that obvious? I'm calling this room since I have more stuff than you," said Asuka, slightly smirking. Shinji couldn't help but sigh, realizing that he should have seen this coming.

"Alright, the guest bedrooms is mine then I guess." Either way, it didn't really matter to Shinji. Just having a bed to sleep in for once was enough for him. He didn't see Asuka frown however; she was wishing that he would have put up more of a fight.

Shinji returned downstairs and sat on the couch, enjoying the warmth of the fire while Asuka began moving everything she had accumulated up to her new bedroom. She sorted everything out that was already in the dresser. Most of it was clearly several sizes too large for her growing body, but she thought, 'maybe one day,' and ended up storing these in the second dresser. Everything that she didn't want she threw into a corner. Maybe they could use all these extra clothes as kindling.

As she thought that, Asuka suddenly felt remorseful. Somebody had once lived here, and now she was going through the things of that person, picking and choosing what she liked, and burning the rest. Under normal circumstances, this would be considered criminal, or guarantee admission to an asylum. At some point though, she had to get passed that notion of somebody else's things. It was only herself and Shinji in this entire city, and maybe the world; there was nothing former about things they found. In order to survive, they had to act like scavengers.

While dampening her mood briefly, Asuka began sorting through the clothes again. She even set aside a separate pile that was clearly mens clothes. Maybe one day, Shinji would wear some of these. Asuka decided not to think about that though; let him decide if he wanted them or not.

After she was done sorting everything out, she went back downstairs to check on Shinji. 'Well, no, not check up on,' she corrected her thinking. Then again, she didn't know why she was doing this.

Shinji was sitting on the couch, his legs stretched outwards, and his body sinking into the cushions.

"You seem relaxed," said Asuka as she entered the living room.

"Well, I can't remember the last time I was this warm," said Shinji. He was staring into the fire, his expression mixed.

"Something wrong?" asked Asuka, noticing this.

"No, nothing," said Shinji, not quite meeting her eyes.

Asuka peered at his face, but shrugged in the end. If it wasn't something he wanted to talk about, she wouldn't bother him with it.

"I sorted out all the clothes from the master bedroom. There was some mens clothes mixed in, so if you wanted to look through it, I made a pile."

"Thanks, I'll look through it tomorrow."

"Hmm, okay," nodded Asuka as she turned and left the room. Pausing in the doorway, Asuka turned and looked at the back of Shinji's head. Something was clearly troubling him, and Asuka could only guess what it was. Unfortunately, she didn't see how she could help him.

Leaving the living room, Asuka walked upstairs and entered her bedroom.

'My bedroom, never thought I'd think something like that,' wondered Asuka.

Night had descended by now, and without a light source, Asuka buried herself in the covers and laid down on the comfy pillow. Ah, such bliss; it was an incredible feeling, something which she hoped she'd never forget. The bed was meant for two people, but Asuka couldn't help but shift from one side to the next, enjoying the extra space. Nobody to bump into her in the middle of the night, nobody to wake up beside her, nobody to annoy her.

'This is wonderful,' thought Asuka.

It was a short time later as she continued laying there, that she heard the steady sound of footsteps as Shinji slowly made his way up the stairs. Her door was cracked open slightly, and so Shinji didn't even have to open it as he spoke to her.

"You still awake?"

"Hmm, yeah. I'm just enjoying this feeling right now."

"Well I'm going to bed."

"Did you put the fire out?"

"No, I think we can leave it on without worrying. It'll die out eventually anyway."

"Do you need any help getting in bed?"

"No, I can manage," replied Shinji. "Night Asuka."

"Ah, night Shinji."

Shinji left, closing the door as he did so. Asuka heard his footsteps disappearing along the hallway until they vanished, obviously entered the guest bedroom. Or was it right to call it his bedroom now? Asuka puzzled over this for several seconds before she shrugged, and curled herself in a ball, nestled into the many blankets, prepared to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>'You've got to be kidding me!'<p>

Asuka thought this as she sat upright, her hair spilling down her shoulders, removing herself from the tangle of blankets. How many hours had it been? Two? Three? Four? Asuka didn't know, but she had been tossing and turning the passed few hours, and hadn't gotten a single ounce of sleep. She was pissed at this.

'Why am I unable to sleep?'

She was angry at herself, even though sleep should have come in an instant. In the two months that had happened since she had woken up in Tokyo-3, not once had she been this warm and comfortable. And yet, why was she still unable to fall asleep? It didn't make any sense!

Throwing herself back down on the pillows, she rolling around several times, trying to find a comfortable position. No matter what she tried though, she wasn't able sleep. Was it because she wasn't used to sleeping on a bed anymore? Or was it because she knew that this wasn't her bed? Either way, it didn't matter. Sleep was not possible right now.

'Maybe, I'm just not tired enough,' thought Asuka. That didn't make any sense either, as she had been running around in the rain all morning. And speaking of the rain, she could still hear it coming down outside. If it hadn't started raining, she would still be sleeping in a tent in that park, and probably fast asleep by now. For the first time since entering this house, Asuka missed living in that tent.

Or was it just the tent itself? The park had been very peaceful as well, and Asuka had gotten used to living like that. Waking up everyday to the sound of birds and blue sky over her head, making a campfire and cooking over it, the rough ground grinding into her back as she slept. How was it that those things could be so nostalgic? But, that wasn't it at all, as Asuka realized something. For the first time since bonding together, Asuka and Shinji weren't sleeping within sight of each other. Whether it was sleeping on the beaches of Tokyo-3, sleeping in the Geofront, the car, or the tent, they had always been within a distance where they could see each other.

Asuka sat up slowly, the blankets sliding off her. She had never realized before, just how large and lonely the room she was attempting to sleep in was. She shivered, and it was clearly not for lack of being warm. The fact was, that being separated from Shinji like this was making her uneasy. She had always known that he was nearby no matter, and even though he was just a door down from where she lay, he still wasn't here.

Turning her body, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. Though it was dark, her eyes had had plenty of time to acclimate to the darkness, and she easily found her door. Opening it, she slowly walked out into the dark hallway. Running her hands along the wall, she found the door to the guest bedroom, Shinji's room. Turning the knob, she tiptoed into the room.

"Couldn't sleep either huh?"

Asuka jumped immensely at Shinji's words. Whipping her head around, she could barely make out his outline that was sitting upright.

"What are you doing," she hissed back at him.

"Trying to fall asleep, just as I assume you were trying to do."

"I-" Asuka started, but she didn't know what she could say. Shinji wasn't able to sleep either right? So didn't that basically mean...

Wordlessly Asuka walked further into the room, stepping around the edge of the bed, and walked to the side of the bed where Shinji was sitting. It was difficult to discern Shinji's features, and so Asuka didn't know what expression he was making when she spoke.

"Move over."

Thinking that he might have misheard, Shinji began to open his mouth and hurriedly closed it. Before he was given time to think, Asuka had started climbing into the bed. Pushing Shinji out of her way, Asuka crawled onto the bed, and threw the covers over herself, laying her head down on the pillow that Shinji had until recently, been laying on. With her back turned away from him, Asuka tried ignoring what she had just done.

"Asuka...what..."

Shinji didn't seem as ready to come to terms with what had just happened though. Still sitting up, he stared at the back of the girl who had just forced her way into bed with him. What was wrong with Asuka?

"...Um...Asu-"

"What?" asked Asuka as she rolled around to face him. Shinji felt like his nerves were splitting at how close they were to each other. Sleeping next to each while still inside their own sleeping bags was one thing; this was entirely different.

"Asuka, sleeping like this is a little-"

"I thought you said you couldn't sleep either?"

"I did, but-"

"This is more comfortable, so shut up and let me sleep already."

Shinji groaned audibly, as he watched her turn away from him again. This situation was, way too impossible. Just because he wasn't able to fall asleep didn't necessarily mean...well, though he had been thinking, but...

Shinji battled with himself for a long time before he finally laid back onto the mattress, trying to ignore the presence of somebody unbearably close to him.

"...Shinji?"

"...Yeah?"

They didn't turn towards each other, but continued facing opposite directions.

"Sorry...can you put up with me for just this one night?"

Though incredibly awkward for himself, and herself as well, he still ended up nodding.

"Its fine. I wasn't able to sleep either so..."

What was he saying?

"Hmm...thank you..."

Asuka fell asleep shortly after this, wrapped warmly in the blankets that were shared between herself and Shinji. Shinji found it much more difficult, but eventually resigned himself to the situation. It wasn't uncomfortable, more like the opposite if anything, but the embarrassment was beyond what he could readily take. True, they had grown accustomed to sleeping at least somewhat close, but this was a different level entirely. Sharing the same bed, Shinji didn't think he had ever considered such a thing. Their relationship was...well, Shinji was unsure at this point.

Blocking out such thoughts was hard, but Shinji was finally able to fall asleep. Albeit, he rather dreaded the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Right, so, after the last few chapters where I've obviously been building up a few things, I just really wanted to have a chapter that was simply all about Shinji and Asuka. Not to mention that writing from Asuka's perspective is always a lot of fun. On the flip side, this chapter is pretty much the opposite of what chapter 12 was like in Spawn of Adam, and that was a difficult one to write, if you remember what it contained.<strong>

**As a side note, there is going to be a brief time skip at the start of the next chapter. So just a heads up.**


	13. Prelude

**Another chapter here, but I'll talk more about things to come at the end of this.**

* * *

><p>It had been two weeks since Shinji and Asuka had vacated to their new home. Or was it proper to call it their new home? Either way, two weeks had passed since they had started living there. The rain continued pouring down from the heavens at an unbelievable pace, only letting up on occasion. Two days after they had begun living there, Shinji's leg had fully healed, much to the relief of Asuka. Other than that, nothing eventful had happened, not since their first night together at least.<p>

True to her word, Asuka had only spent that first night together with Shinji, and afterwards, had slept peacefully in her own bedroom. She didn't mention what she had done, and neither did Shinji bring it up. It was something that had happened between them, that was an unspoken occurrence. Even when Shinji had awoken that next morning, Asuka had already left the bed, and he found her dozing lightly on the couch downstairs.

Since they had started living there, they had only left the house a handful of times. Once to get more canned goods, a second time when Asuka had gotten bored and restless, and a third when their pile of dry wood had slowly started to dwindle. Without fire, it would be meaningless to stay there.

Even so, boredom came all too easy for both of them. Within a single room of the house, was a study, likely used by the male of the house, and along a certain wall, was a bookcase filled with books. Shinji and Asuka had taken their time pouring through these, reading anything that caught their interest, but this still wasn't enough.

Ever since it had started raining, Asuka had come up with a way to bathe properly. In the garage, she had found two large buckets, neither of which she could guess their true purpose. She placed them out back, behind the house, and let them fill with water. One bucket of water was used for cleaning your body, and the other was used for rinsing off the shampoo and soap. It was a very rudimentary way of bathing, and you were short of freezing at the end, but it did work. The first time Asuka had done this, Shinji didn't know, and only discovered after she had come in the backdoor draped in a towel. He had hurriedly been banished to the second floor, while Asuka dried off in front of the fireplace.

Still, these two weeks weren't unproductive. Shinji didn't know when it had happened, but the distance between himself and Asuka had shrunk. Certainly, being the only two people in existence would do that in time, but it wasn't unusual anymore for them to sit next to each on the couch. In fact, it felt entirely normal. Whether they were eating, reading, talking, or just plain sitting there in silence, very rarely were they out of each others reach. The only time this didn't apply, was when they were both sleeping in separate rooms.

Then there was Shinji himself. Ever since he broke his leg, he could feel a certain tension building within him, completing unrelated to his and Asuka's growing relationship. He was different, and he couldn't explain why. It almost felt like, there was somebody separate from himself, inhabiting his body within him: another self. Truthfully, Shinji had been worried that once his leg fully healed, something about him would change drastically. Nothing had happened of course, but Shinji was still worried that something could happen. If that did happen, how would he react? He still didn't know how severe the difference would be, but if if threatened Asuka in someway, well, he tried not to think about that.

Besides that, Shinji thoroughly enjoyed these two weeks, living inside this house with Asuka, and hoped that things would continue like this.

* * *

><p>With the fire roaring in front of them, Shinji and Asuka lay in the living room, reading both their books respectively. Asuka was laying on the couch, with a pillow under her head, while Shinji was leaning against the side of the couch, directly beside Asuka, his legs stretched out. Turning a page idly, Shinji suddenly felt the couch shift as Asuka moved, and then felt a pressure on top of his head.<p>

"What are you doing?" asked Shinji. He wasn't annoyed by what she was doing, but it did interrupt his thoughts.

"Bored," replied Asuka with a sigh. She was resting her elbow atop Shinji's head, and pressing her cheek against the palm of her hand.

"How many times have you said that today alone?" wondered Shinji.

"But I can't help it! There's absolutely nothing to do around here except read, and even that gets dull after a while."

"Not like going outside is much of an option though," shrugged Shinji. As he said this, he glanced towards the window on the far left side of the room. It was already passed seven p.m. and clearly dark out, but the distinct sound of rain could be heard coming down outside still.

"Even when it's day, the sun is almost never out as it is," finished Shinji.

"I know that," grumbled Asuka, "but being cooped up here is seriously wearing me down. If I had known that we'd be stuck here for days at a time, I may not have been so quick to move in."

"Still, your quick decision saved us a lot of time and worry," Shinji reminded her. "If we hadn't found this place, I may still not be walking, and you might have gotten sick."

"I seriously doubt your leg would have slowed down for anything."

Sitting upright, Asuka swung her legs around and leaned back into the couch cushions.

"I just wish this rain would slow down for a bit; I'm getting miserable because of it."

"Hmm, I can understand that logic," said Shinji as he closed his book. Sitting up, he glanced over at Asuka and asked, "I'm gonna make tea. Want some?"

"...Why not," shrugged Asuka. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

While Shinji went into the kitchen and prepared to boil water on the grill they had outside, Asuka curled herself up into a ball in front of the fireplace. Since coming here, she had done this many times when she had something on her mind, and she'd be lying if she said the majority of the time it wasn't related to Shinji in someway. Right now, she was thinking about something else though.

Without a doubt, it was clear that they were entering the winter months, and with winter came Christmas as well. Was it right for her to be thinking about that right now though? Was Christmas even considered a big deal anymore? In this post Third Impact world, what mattered and what didn't? Was it right to celebrate things from their past lives? Asuka couldn't see how Shinji would have a problem with it if she brought it up, but was there a need to celebrate it at all? Something about not celebrating it felt wrong, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on Asuka's part. She had always rather enjoyed Christmas, something which she felt embarrassed about at times.

Moments later, Shinji came back with two steaming mugs of tea, handing one to Asuka. It was amazing that they hadn't spilt anything in the living room yet, considering they ate almost exclusively in here instead of the dining room, but they were careful. In such a short time, they had become so used to this house that it almost felt like they had always lived here, and before then, had simply been on vacation.

Sitting down beside Asuka, Shinji fell into the couch cushions, enjoying the comforting feel against his back.

"You seem laid back," commented Asuka.

"I'm glad to be back inside," said Shinji as he sipped from his cup. "It's freezing out there."

"I'd imagine."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it snows soon."

Asuka paused for several seconds before she replied, "Yeah, maybe."

Turning towards her, Shinji asked, "Something wrong?"

"Why would something be wrong?"

"I thought your reaction would be, I don't know, more excited maybe."

"What? Excited that it's so damn cold out there that it starts snowing?"

"Asuka, I was only-"

"Don't apologize Shinji," sighed Asuka. "Sorry, but cold and rain is not something I want to think of right now. But...no, never mind."

"What?" asked Shinji.

"No, forget it. It was a stupid thought."

Shinji raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue the subject.

"I'm going upstairs," said Asuka as she stood up, taking her book with her.

"Going to sleep already?" asked Shinji.

"No, I'll read upstairs for a while I think. What about you?"

"I still have to wash the dishes from dinner."

Asuka nodded, not offering to help him. Sometimes she did, and sometimes she didn't. It all depended on her mood at the time.

While Shinji went into the kitchen, preparing to wash the dishes outside in the rain, Asuka walked upstairs with her book in one hand, and something else grasped in the other.

When darkness set in as it always did, they had initially been wondering if they could get some sort of light for the upstairs rooms. They found two flashlights inside the garage, but with limited battery life, they wished to preserve these as long as possible. In addition, Asuka had found several candles stored away far back in a closet on the ground floor. The candles they placed around the house, so when night fell, they could still have some form of light besides the fireplace in the living room.

Entering her bedroom, Asuka struck a match from the box she held, and lit the candle beside her bed. There was something oddly mystifying about candle light, and every time Asuka lit it, she watched the flame flicker back and forth. Besides her own bedroom, Shinji had one in his, and another was placed in the kitchen and dining room. With these four and the fireplace, the house was effectively lit, even at night.

Crawling into her bed, she opened her book and continued reading, but found herself reading the same line multiple times. Closing the book with a sigh, she placed it on the end table, and dug herself further under the covers. It was hard for her to believe that they had only been here for two weeks.

Unwillingly, Asuka's thoughts brought her back to that first day, and the stupid thing she had done. The next day, after Asuka had crawled into Shinji's own bed, she had woken up in a daze, nearly forgetting where she was. Naturally, her vision was filled with Shinji's face, and it had taken every fiber of her being to not smack him out of habit. Granted, she did admit that the situation had largely been her fault, but Shinji as well hadn't completely resented the idea. Still, Asuka had torn herself out of bed beside him, and spent the rest of the morning downstairs sleeping on the couch. Even after Shinji had awoken her with morning breakfast, she didn't say anything about what had happened, and even now, the subject still wasn't brought up. At least she didn't have any difficulties sleeping now.

Asuka lay there for several more minutes, debating on whether to blow the candle out, or try reading again, when she eventually heard footsteps of Shinji walking upstairs. Instead of stopping at his door though, they continued down the hallway, pausing outside her own door.

"You didn't plan on going back downstairs did you Asuka?"

"No, I didn't," she replied back.

"Okay. Both candles are out downstairs and the fire will start dying down probably. I'm going to bed, night."

"Yeah, night," Asuka said, hearing Shinji's footsteps already disappearing from her door.

* * *

><p>Shinji awoke earlier that morning then he had been intending, and was glad that he did. As he slid out of bed, and opened his dresser drawer to change clothes, he immediately noticed the lack of rain pounding against the roof. Looking out the window beside his bed, he looked down on the street corner below. Large puddles lined the street and pooled in areas were the road dipped, but it was obvious that it wasn't raining. Clouds still covered the sky, but the rays of the sun could just barely be seen poking out through gaps in the cloud cover.<p>

Throwing on some jeans and a shirt, Shinji walked downstairs and got the fire started, before turning towards breakfast. For once, he would have liked a breakfast that consisted of eggs, bacon, and toast, but those ingredients were impossible to find in this current world. As such, he had to settle for oatmeal with coffee. After finishing his first cup, he heard the sound of feet coming from the stairs. Turning around, he saw Asuka coming down the stairs; it was surprising to see her up this early needless to say, but Shinji thought he had an idea why.

"It stopped raining!" Asuka breathlessly stated as she entered the dining room.

"For now at least," agreed Shinji.

"I don't care, I'm just glad it stopped. Whats for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal and coffee if you want it."

Asuka didn't seem thrilled with the idea, but she didn't complain either. Getting her own bowl and cup, she sat across from Shinji and hurriedly ate her breakfast.

"Whats the rush?"

"I'm not staying in the house today," said Asuka in between bites.

"So you have somewhere you want to go?" asked Shinji.

"Not at all. I just don't want to stay here." After a brief pause, Asuka continued with, "Do you want to come?"

"I don't suppose staying here by myself would be very fun," sighed Shinji. "Even so, without any idea where to go, is there much point?"

"Whats wrong with just driving around?"

"I don't want to stop and siphon gas if we run low."

"Don't come if you don't want to then," said Asuka as she stood up, left the dining room, and walked upstairs to change. Shinji frowned as he watched her leave. Standing up, he gathered the dishes they had dirtied, depositing them in the sink for now. Without anything else to do, he walked into the living room, and threw himself down on the couch.

Minutes later, Asuka came walking down the staircase, clad in simple jeans and a t-shirt with a coat she had found covering her torso.

"You leaving?" asked Shinji without turning towards her.

"Yeah," Asuka nodded as she slipped her shoes on. "I take it you aren't coming?"

"No," sighed Shinji, "I think I will just stay here instead."

"Suit yourself," shrugged Asuka as she opened the front door and walked outside.

"Don't do anything reckless," Shinji shouted after her, hoping that she heard him.

Sinking lower into the couch cushions, Shinji relaxed himself as the fire continued heating the room around him. From the driveway, the sound of the car engine could be heard starting. In fact, Shinji waited until he could hear the car backing away from the house before he knew that Asuka had left.

That never happened though. Shinji didn't know in what order things occurred, but the steady sound of rain began hitting the roof of the house first. This was likely the first change, but what came next was what scared Shinji.

The similarities were too great to just shrug off as him being worried. A certain color, the sound of screeching tires, smoke rising from the hood. In his mind, he was suddenly assaulted by a wave of images, visions as they were, not unlike those involved with Misato. These were slightly different though, as the events that unfolded were much clearer, and quite obviously, led up to the time of death, or death as it were. Shinji was an onlooker as he watched, just a simple pedestrian who watched a traffic accident. But that wasn't true at all, because there was nobody else in the world besides himself, and Asuka. The skidding of the tires, the tree the car was wrapped around, her blank face smeared against the steering wheel as blood trickled out between her eyes. The images Shinji saw shattered his mind. In no way could something like that happen. He wouldn't allow it, couldn't allow it. Letting that happen to her was out of the question, even if he had to-

All too suddenly, Shinji was being shaken awake by somebody. He hadn't noticed it, but he had slid off the couch, blacking out in the process. The person who was shaking him was slowly beginning to come into focus, and as her face became clear, Shinji found himself acting on instinct.

"Shinji...Shinji? Hey are you-OW! What are you-"

Asuka had been tugging on Shinji's shoulder, trying to bring him back to the land of the living. Quite suddenly though, he had lunged at her, pinning her down on the couch, and was now straddling her waist. This sudden change not only startled Asuka, but also scared her briefly. Shinji had moved way faster than she had thought possible, and now they were in this position.

"Shinji, what are you doing!?" Asuka began angrily, the fear quickly disappearing.

He didn't know. Shinji didn't know what he was doing. His mind still held traces of what he had seen, but all that mattered was that Asuka was still here. That was why he had reacted as he had. It all seemed so real, but the sight of Asuka in front of him and okay, must have triggered something within him to act as he did.

"Get off of me you idiot!" shouted Asuka.

Before Shinji was given time to reply, Asuka had pushed against his chest with both her hands, sending him reeling backwards and falling off the couch.

"What the fuck was that about!? I came back in because it started raining, and I see you passed out beside the couch. Next second, I'm trying to wake you and then find myself pinned to the couch. What the hell were you thinking?"

Shinji opened his mouth, but nothing came out. How exactly was he supposed to explain what he saw? He had already told her what he had seen with Misato, but this was inherently different. He had seen Asuka dead, had seen her die. How was he supposed to communicate those images to the person in question?

"I-I don't know," began Shinji meekly.

"You don't know?" Asuka said mockingly. "You don't know why you passed out? What if I just left? What if I didn't know you were like that? What would have happened?"

It took Shinji several seconds to register what Asuka was talking about. Simply put, she didn't seem worried about him lunging at her, so much as she was worried about him suddenly passing out.

"Has this happened before?" asked Asuka sternly.

"No...it-"

That wasn't true though. But still, explaining it to Asuka was-

Asuka glared down at him for several seconds before groaning, and stood up.

"Damn it Shinji! If you don't have anything to say, then I'm leaving."

It was only these words that jogged Shinji's brain, as he remembered the vision of what he saw. As Asuka turned to leave again, Shinji found his legs moving with no coherent thought. All that mattered, was that he prevented Asuka from leaving. In a flash, he was at the door, and firmly holding onto her wrist.

"Don't go," he said simply.

Whipping her head around, she looked down at his hand that was holding onto her wrist.

"Why don't you want me to go?" asked Asuka.

Again, Shinji had no way to express to Asuka the urgency of this situation, but he still couldn't let her go.

"I'm worried," is all Shinji managed to say.

Asuka eyed him for several seconds before she shook off his grasp. They stood like that in the doorway of their house, while the raining continued pouring down several feet away.

"Why are you worried?" asked Asuka quietly.

"I...I can't say," said Shinji, not quite meeting Asuka's eyes.

"Does it have something to do with what you saw in the Geofront?" asked Asuka.

Shinji wanted to nod, but was unable to. This and that were fundamentally different. Even if he knew Misato at one point, he had no memories of her. He knew Asuka though, had been living with her for two months. The two deaths were completely different. That person, was standing right in front of him, but he couldn't communicate what he had seen because it was too dreadful.

"Shinji...I don't know if you saw something, like what happened with Misato, but if you ask me to stay, then I will."

Asuka gave him a small smile, that was somewhat sad, and walked passed him. This wasn't good enough though, and Shinji knew it. Whirling around, he grabbed her hand again, firmly gripping it.

"Shinji what-"

"You died," he stated. This certainly caught Asuka off guard.

"I died? What-"

"If you had left, you would have died."

"Shinji..."

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to think about it."

"That isn't good enough."

"Isn't it?" asked Shinji. "What happened at the Geofront was different. This was...I watched it all happen, and couldn't do anything to stop it. The car, the tree, your face...I shouldn't have to repeat those things, especially towards the person who I saw die."

"But I'm right here," Asuka insisted.

"And if you hadn't come back inside because it started raining, and just drove on your way, what then?"

Asuka couldn't reply to that, and instead chose something else to ask.

"Why did you lunge at me then? You hurt me when you pinned me against the couch."

"How would you react if you had just seen me die, only to find me inches away from your face?"

Again, Asuka fell silent. Shinji was right, she probably would have acted in a similar manner.

Running his hands across his face, Shinji walked over to the couch and laid down on it. Asuka continued standing near the door, unsure of what she could say.

"What is happening to me?" mumbled Shinji into the couch cushions. "Why do I regenerate from wounds? Why am I having these visions?"

"Shinji-"

"What the fuck happened to me in those four months that I can't remember damn it!" Shinji swore.

Asuka looked hesitantly back at him. What could she do in a situation like this? Shinji had seen her die? Even now, she still didn't rightfully understand that. Still, seeing something like that had clearly left a deep impact on him. He really did care a lot about her, if it had affected him that much.

Knowing what she had to do, Asuka walked around to the front of the couch. Since Shinji was still laying down on it, she moved his legs slightly, creating a spot for her to sit. Shinji didn't give any resistance, or even acknowledge that Asuka was sitting next to him.

"Shinji, sit up for a second." It wasn't an order, but a request.

Slowly, Shinji did, hardly paying attention as he did. Scooting closer to him, Asuka positioned herself directly beside him. Calmly, Asuka wrapped her arms around Shinji, and brought him into a comforting hug. She didn't say anything, because she didn't need to. The words were spoken in the embrace, telling him that everything was all right. He didn't need to worry about these things, because it wasn't just him that was enduring them, but Asuka as well. As Shinji discovered more about himself, Asuka would be beside him, supporting him no matter what.

Breaking off the hug, Asuka's face was lightly colored pink, but she didn't seem terribly embarrassed by the situation. It was only a hug after all.

"Thank you Asuka," said Shinji beside her. Glancing over at him, Asuka couldn't say that Shinji was smiling, but he didn't look dejected anymore.

"You worry too much," said Asuka as she stood up. "Though still...I do appreciate it. Ah, enough of this depressing topic. If I'm gonna be stuck here today, I may as well enjoy myself. Wait here for a minute Shinji, I'm gonna grab a few things."

Before Shinji was given any time to ask questions, Asuka had bolted out of the room.

'What is she thinking?' wondered Shinji.

For an answer, Shinji only had to wait a couple of minutes, when Asuka came back into the living room, carrying a chair, and having a towel slung over her shoulder. Placing the chair in front of the couch, she pointed to Shinji and said, "Sit."

Not seeming to have any choice, Shinji did as he was told, not having a clue what she was doing. Asuka decided that it was about time she explained herself though.

"You need a haircut," Asuka stated.

Shinji gulped involuntarily, and attempted to resist, but Asuka had a firm grip on his shoulder. He understood what she had said about enjoying herself.

"Umm, Asuka, I don't think this is really-"

"While I was hugging you, I noticed how messy your hair is; it's sticking up all over the place."

"I don't need a haircut," Shinji firmly replied.

"Since it started raining again, I need something to occupy myself with."

"But giving me a haircut is-"

"Oh shut it Shinji," Asuka sighed as she removed a pair of scissors from her back pocket. "Or do you not trust me to do a good job?"

"I trust that you could do a good job if you wanted to, but I'm afraid that you'll hack off all my hair on only one side."

"You don't have much faith in me, do you?" frowned Asuka.

"In some things, yes. In this, no."

Without bothering to reply to him, Asuka began snipping Shinji's hair. Immediately, he started struggling, but Asuka said, "If you move around like an idiot, I'm gonna accidentally cut you."

"So what. It'll just end up healing anyway."

Asuka paused as Shinji said this, realizing the tone in his voice. He had reverted back to his emotionless self from earlier.

"Still, it'll hurt, and I don't want to hurt you."

Asuka said this, dispelling the momentary silence. Shinji was glad that she did so, because he hadn't meant what he said. His anger was getting the better of him.

"Fine, do whatever you want," groaned Shinji as he leaned back into the chair, resigning himself to the haircut.

"I promise not to turn you bald."

That did bring a brief chuckle out of Shinji, before the only sound resonating in the room came from the scissors that Asuka was working. When Asuka was young, she had a very vague memory of her mother giving her a haircut when her hair had initially started growing out. For some reason, what Asuka was doing now, reminded her of that memory. Initially, this had been Asuka's attempt at fixing the depressing atmosphere that had been lingering over them earlier, but now she was actually enjoying herself. As she began humming softly though, Shinji spoke.

"Hey Asuka?"

"It's too late to change your mind about this."

"That wasn't it. I was just wondering what you were about to say yesterday."

"Yesterday?" puzzled Asuka as she tried to recall what they had been talking about, but the memory came quickly back to her.

"Oh, that," said Asuka as she paused in her work. "Like I said, it was stupid really."

"Stupid or not, I want to hear what you were thinking."

"Why?"

"Does there have to be a reason?" shrugged Shinji.

"I suppose not," mumbled Asuka, "but, whatever. I was thinking about the seasonal change, and how it's obvious now that we're in the winter season. My thoughts eventually went to December, and then Christmas after that. Though celebrating it is a little..."

Asuka's sentence broke, aware of the unusual silence that had engulfed them.

"Are you laughing!?" asked Asuka, her face starting to turn red from both embarrassment and anger.

Shinji had started quivering in his chair, completely unaware of the angry girl still holding scissors above him.

"Do you want me to make you bald!"

"No, sorry Asuka, I just never imagined I'd hear you talk about Christmas."

"Is that wrong? Sorry if that seems unlike me."

"I just never thought you'd bring it up. I know it was something I'd never think to celebrate with the world as it is."

"Is something wrong with that?"

"It just seems, unimportant I guess. Besides, we're the only ones here."

"Thats got nothing to do with it," said Asuka as she crossed her arms.

"So what? You want to hang up lights and get a Christmas tree for this place?"

"Like I said, stupid idea," said Asuka returning to her work.

"Not stupid, just strange coming from you."

"I swear I'm gonna cut off the rest of your hair if you don't shut up."

"Okay, okay, I won't mention that. But still, do you have fond memories of Christmas?"

Asuka stopped in mid cut, remembering certain memories. Up until a point, Christmas had been enjoyable for her, but after her mother died, things had gone downhill. Even after she had left her father, she usually celebrated Christmas by herself. She enjoyed the holiday, but hardly had any memories she considered fond.

"A couple," lied Asuka. "What about yourself though?"

"Do you even need to ask that?" wondered Shinji. "I don't think I've ever gotten anything from my father, and I was too young to remember spending time with my mother."

"Then what did you do?"

"Nothing normally. Sometimes I'd go to the middle of whatever town I was in at the time, and look at the giant Christmas tree they usually had displayed there. But other than that, nothing."

"No presents? No family gatherings?"

"My father would never think of giving me presents, and I've never even met my grandparents."

Asuka reflected that even she didn't have as bad a time as Shinji did. She always received presents from her grandparents every Christmas, and sometimes spent Christmas dinner at their house before she started college. But Shinji didn't have anybody to spend that time with.

"Do you hate Christmas then?" asked Asuka.

"I don't, but I've never experienced it either."

It was such a strange thing to say, never having experienced Christmas before.

"How would you feel about celebrating it then?"

"Like I said, that seems unimportant compared to everything else that has happened."

"Leaving those things aside, I think some holiday cheer could do us some good."

"Are you feeling okay Asuka?"

The response Shinji got was unpleasant, since Asuka stamped roughly down on his foot.

* * *

><p>Though Shinji had misgivings when Asuka first started cutting his hair, after he saw what she had done, he had to admit it was a good job. At least she didn't make him look hideous. In fact, his hair was back to the length it had been when he had woken up on the beach of Tokyo-3.<p>

"I told you to trust me," said Asuka as Shinji stood up, leaving the chair.

"Well, it isn't bad at least," replied Shinji as he glanced at his reflection in the hand mirror.

"Hmph," snorted Asuka.

"I'll clean this up since you did give me the hair cut."

"Good, because I didn't intend to sweep your hair up anyway," said Asuka as she crossed her arms.

Thankfully, the towel that Asuka grabbed, had been placed under the chair, so that most of Shinji's hair fell onto it. Still, there was some that fell directly onto the carpet, and Shinji spent several minutes cleaning this up. Asuka seemed to have returned the chair to the dining room, and placed the scissors somewhere as well. Speaking of which, Shinji had completely forgotten to ask where she had gotten them.

Ignoring that for now, Shinji ran his hand through his newly cut hair. In retrospect, it might have been a better idea to keep it long, considering the winter season was upon them. Then again, Asuka wouldn't have taken no for an answer anyway.

As Asuka came back into the living room, she saw Shinji moving his hand through his hair, and laughed lightly.

"So you do appreciate the job I did."

"I never said I didn't," said Shinji as he turned to her. "What about yourself though? Isn't yours getting unbearable?"

"I wouldn't say that. Besides, I always wanted my hair longer, but other things got in the way."

"Like?"

"Being an Evangelion pilot comes to mind. My mother had hair that went down to her waist, and I always wanted to grow my hair out to that length, so now I think I will. Not like there's anything to get in the way of that now."

"If you say so," shrugged Shinji.

Sitting down on the couch, Asuka asked Shinji, "Can I ask you something...about earlier?"

By earlier, Shinji assumed she meant about the vision he had had. He was much calmer now, and nodded his head without hesitation.

"When you saw...what you saw, how did you view it."

"What do you mean?" asked Shinji after several seconds of silence.

"Were you in the passenger seat, or watching from above like a dream, or-"

"I was watching as though I was just somebody passing by, that witnessed a car accident."

"And you saw the whole thing or?"

Shinji frowned, not wanting to go into explicit details, surprised that Asuka was continuing to ask these question.

"It all flashed by, and I only got brief glimpses of everything, but it was clear what happened."

"Why me though? Why did you specifically see me?"

"It isn't like there's anybody else around."

"True, but then what about Misato? Why did you see her, and something that must have happened a while ago at that."

"I've no idea," mumbled Shinji.

Glancing at Shinji, Asuka could tell that he wasn't keen on continuing the discussion, so Asuka decided she'd drop the subject. She was curious about the whole thing. What exactly had happened to Shinji? It was possible to assume that this had happened because his leg had broken, and then healed itself surprisingly fast. When she thought of it in those terms, if Shinji hadn't broken his leg, and changed somehow, she may be dying right now in a car accident. She couldn't help but shudder at the thought.

"What do you plan on making for dinner?" asked Asuka, moving away from the topic.

"I hadn't thought about it," said Shinji.

"Hmm, well, if you need help, I can lend I hand."

"Thanks," muttered Shinji as he stood up. Asuka wanted to say something, but could clearly tell that Shinji wanted to be left alone for now. Her questions about what he saw, had a negative impact apparently.

Leaving Asuka in the living room, Shinji walked upstairs to his bedroom, and laid himself down on his bed. How many times had he run away from things in his life? He couldn't count the times. No matter where he went, he disassociated himself from people. Now though, it wasn't as if he could take that route. Admittedly strange, as things were, there was no getting around the fact that him and Asuka were living together. He couldn't ignore her presence, and she couldn't ignore his. This posed a problem, as Shinji was worried about his state of mind.

Why now? Why did he have this vision now? Why didn't he have it when the building had fallen on them? Was it because something had changed within him, like a switch being thrown when his leg had broken? Why were these things happening to him?

This wasn't even the half of it, and Shinji was more troubled about this second part. He couldn't explain it, but there was another feeling he got, like an extension of himself. There weren't two of him, but it felt like there was some force within him, that he could manipulate and control if he put his mind to it. Suppressing this force normally came easily, but during times when his anger flared up, he found his control slipping, and this was happening more often than not. He thought about bringing this up to Asuka on more than one occasion during these past two weeks, but he had always decided against it.

Asuka was another problem. No matter how much Shinji tried to deny it, he had become close to Asuka in a way he had never imagined. Certainly not when he had first interacted with her on the beach of Tokyo-3. During these two months spent glued to each others side, he had become accustomed to her, admired her, marveled at her ingenuity, and even enjoyed her stubbornness on occasion. Attraction was not something he had thought would sprout out of this strange relationship. If his current self, had told his past self, who had just met Asuka, what would eventually happen, his past self would likely hit his present self.

Was this feeling usual for somebody in his situation, and how did Asuka feel as well? It was almost impossible to gauge her thoughts, even after living together for so long. One minute she would be friendly, and the next, she would be her angry stubborn self. He could never tell what she was thinking, or what her feelings were. He didn't know whether she was closing herself off, or if he just didn't understand her. Shinji had never been good with people in general, but neither had he been together with somebody for a prolonged period of time, not to mention somebody of the opposite sex and same age him.

Rolling onto his back, he stared up at his ceiling, hearing the rain pounding down on the roof above, reverberating in his own eardrum. He couldn't stay like this, and was unsure whether things could stay like this either. Him and Asuka were trapped in this house like a couple of caged animals, with a very limited amount of space. What would happen, and what could happen?

Shinji didn't bother going back downstairs until the sun began setting, and then knew that he should at least start dinner. Besides, it was better to start before Asuka began complaining.

Walking downstairs, he saw Asuka laying on the couch, her hair spilling over one of the arms. He couldn't see what she was holding, but he had to assume that it was a book of sorts. Speaking from the open doorway, he said, "I'm gonna start dinner soon, so if you still want to help-"

As he said this, Asuka sat upright, and turned towards him.

"Yeah, I still want to help," she replied.

Setting her book down on the couch, she stood up, and followed Shinji into the kitchen

"What do you plan on making?" she asked.

Shinji stood in front of the counter, pondering this. Most of their food they had stored away in the pantry and cupboards. It felt strange not having them placed in backpacks, but this was the proper way they were supposed to be stored anyway.

"Rice to begin with I suppose," frowned Shinji as he looked at their supplies. "Steamed vegetables maybe...the people that lived here before had some seasonings that I can use. Hmm, I can sauté the lot of it I suppose. Lets see, soy sauce, salt, pinch of garlic powder-"

"Peanut oil?" offered Asuka.

"Yeah, that'll work," nodded Shinji. "Other than that, I'm not sure what else."

"I want meat," Asuka said suddenly.

"Unless, you want spam, we don't have many options."

They had found an assortment of spam in the back of one of the cupboards. Neither had ever tried it, but couldn't imagine canned meat would taste very good.

"I'd rather not," said Asuka as she started pulling out everything that Shinji had said. Meanwhile, Shinji started the grill outside, battling the elements. The wind had picked up, and getting a fire started took longer than he anticipated. Inside, Asuka had already mixed the vegetables into a separate bowl with the sauce and was stirring it without much purpose.

"The fire may take longer to properly heat because of the wind," said Shinji as he stepped into the side door. He was slightly wet from the torrential downpour.

"So what, we wait?" asked Asuka.

"Pretty much," shrugged Shinji.

Without many other option, Shinji brought two chairs into the kitchen so he could keep an eye on the fire. At first, he thought about bringing just one in, but Asuka insisted that he bring two, one for her as well. Together, they sat in the midst of the kitchen, watching the fire through the side door.

"Hey Shinji," mumbled Asuka after several minutes of silence.

"Hmm?" muttered Shinji.

"About what I said earlier-"

Shinji sincerely hoped she wasn't about to bring up his vision again.

"About Christmas," finished Asuka.

"Oh, that..."sighed Shinji.

"What?" asked Asuka, her voice raised slightly.

"No, nothing," replied Shinji hurriedly. "So, what about it?"

"I think I want to do something after all. If nothing else, to alleviate the boredom."

"Aren't you forgetting that we don't even know what day Christmas is?"

"Sure we do, its the twenty-fifth."

"But that doesn't help if we don't know how many more days until that point we have. We don't even know what today is."

"Then in three weeks, its Christmas," said Asuka stubbornly.

"You aren't letting this go, are you?"

"If I'm going to be bored, miserable, and stuck inside this house for several weeks, I want to at least have some sense of fun."

"Fine, you win. I give up," sighed Shinji.

"Good," said Asuka as she leaned back in her chair.

They talked idly for a while, until Shinji went outside to check the fire, deeming that it was hot enough. Even after cooking rice over an open flame for so long, Shinji still had to be careful he didn't accidentally burn it. No matter how long it was, he didn't think he'd get used to cooking like this.

After letting the vegetables and rice cook together, Shinji brought the pan off the fire, and walked back into the warmth of the kitchen. The rain was still coming down heavily outside.

"I'll take that," said Asuka as she took the pan from Shinji after he walked inside. Slightly surprised by this show of generosity, Shinji blinked twice before shrugging his shoulders, and walked into the living room. Even though the fireplace was in another room, it still provided sufficient light for the entire downstairs; the candles existed as an add-on.

After waiting several second, Asuka walked into the room carrying two bowls of rice and vegetables, steam cascading upwards from the bowl.

"Here," said Asuka as she passed him a bowl. Mumbling his thanks, Shinji dove right into the meal, enjoying the rich taste of rice and vegetables. This wasn't the first they had made something like this, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Finishing first, Shinji set his bowl down beside the couch, and leaned back, closing his eyes as he did. Simple things like this: he wondered, and this was pure speculation, whether him and Asuka had spent moments like this before, if they really had been living in Misato's apartment. He never thought much about that, as Asuka had said it was wise not to dwell on the past. Still, he couldn't help but feel curious about what may have happened before all this.

Feeling the couch cushions shifting, Shinji glanced to his right, and saw Asuka had finished her own bowl, and was now sinking further into the couch cushions.

"There's more if you want you know," said Asuka as she saw him glancing at her.

"I'll wrap it up later," said Shinji.

"Hmm, okay," said Asuka.

Yawning, she attempted to stifle it with her hand, but was unable to. Repositioning herself, she moved her back so that it was now against the arm of the couch, and brought her legs up to her chest. Seconds later though, she apparently found this uncomfortable, because she stretched her legs outward instead. Without enough room for her to stretch out all the way, her legs naturally found themselves resting on Shinji's legs now. Needless to say, Shinji couldn't go without saying something in regard to this.

"Err, Asuka...?" started Shinji.

"Don't like it, move then," was all she replied with.

She glared back at him, as though daring him to move. If he did, then she would win, but it wasn't like he considered it a battle of sorts either.

"Whatever," grumbled Shinji as he ignored her. Asuka grinned at her victory, and sunk lower into the couch. Shinji was having a more difficult time cooping with having Asuka's legs directly in front of him, and certain thoughts crossed his mind. Most of them would end up with him getting kicked in the jaw, but they were still fun to think of. At that though, he thought of something else.

"Asuka, how do you feel about me?" Shinji asked. As he said this, he wasn't entirely sure whether he had meant his thoughts to become spoken. Quickly looking over at Asuka, she didn't give much away in her expression. She was frowning, but it wasn't in annoyance. Rather, it seemed that she was thinking.

"I don't hate you, if thats what you mean Shinji," said Asuka slowly.

"While I appreciate that," said Shinji, "that isn't exactly what I meant."

There were certain things he could say that would shed light on this situation, but he wasn't about to speak of those things. They had shared, shall we say, certain intimate situations, none of which could be considered wrong considering the situations they had occurred in. Well, almost none, but the last thing Shinji wanted to speak of, was when Asuka had crawled in bed with him scant weeks ago.

"What did you mean then?" asked Asuka.

"Simply that, when you look at me, how do you feel?"

This time, Asuka did seem like she was annoyed with the question. Swinging her legs around so that they were no longer resting on Shinji's lap, she sat upright and said, "Well, I don't know. There isn't anything particular I feel. I mean, comfortable would be one feeling I could say, but I don't rightfully understand what that means. Other than that, there isn't anything else really. Why do you ask anyway?"

"Just thinking I guess," shrugged Shinji.

"Well, it was a strange thing to be thinking about," replied Asuka. She glanced back at Shinji, trying to gauge his own feelings on the subject.

"Then can I ask, how do you feel about me then?" asked Asuka, hardly knowing that she was speaking. She almost wished she could take back that sentence.

"How I feel about you?" repeated Shinji, feeling confused.

"I just told you, so now you have to tell me," retorted Asuka rather hotly.

"A friend comes to mind first," muttered Shinji, "the only person I've really ever known to be able to call a friend."

"You really led a shitty life before meeting me, didn't you," said Asuka without much humility. Shinji ignored the jab, and continued.

"Other than that...somebody important to me, and I guess like yourself, I feel comfortable around you Asuka."

At Shinji's mention of 'somebody important to me' Asuka felt her face heating up, unaware that she had begun to blush.

"Is that so," said Asuka, trying to ignore the sudden surge in temperature within her own body. Why did he have to say something like that?

"Are you okay Asuka?" asked Shinji, noticing her face had turned unusually red.

"Fine, you idiot," grumbled Asuka as she turned away from him to hide her face.

Shinji was unsure whether she was truthful in what she said, but he didn't pursue the subject. Standing up, he gathered the two bowls they had eaten out of and left them in the kitchen. As he walked back to the living room, he arrived just in time to see Asuka ascend the first step of the staircase.

"Going upstairs already?" asked Shinji.

'Because of what you said, I'm having difficulties just looking at you.' Asuka wasn't about to tell him this, even though she was thinking it.

"Yeah," shrugged Asuka, not meeting his gaze.

"Alright," said Shinji, as he watched Asuka walk the rest of the way upstairs. After he heard the door of her room close, he let out a low sigh, and ran his hands through his hair. Even he, who said such a thing, was have difficulties with seeing Asuka. He was truthful in what he had said about her being important to him, but still, saying it out loud to the person in question was different.

Knowing that he couldn't do anything about it, Shinji walked into the kitchen, and washed the dishes they had used. Afterwards, he grabbed the candle that rested on the dining room table, lit it, and walked down the hallway by the stairs that led to the study. He sometimes spent time in here, usually after Asuka had already gone upstairs for the night.

Leaving the candle on the desk, he walked around it to the bookcase on the opposite wall, pulling out a certain book. Returning to the desk, he sat down in the office chair, and began reading by candlelight. While he read though, his mind worked in two ways. Firstly, he was conscious of what he was reading, and turned the pages idly with each passing page, but secondly, he was also thinking about what him and Asuka had discussed today.

How could he put it: Christmas was still a forgone thought in his mind. Asuka was happy enough with the thought, but Shinji couldn't share that. Maybe it was because he had never enjoyed a happy Christmas, but it went further than that. Asuka and him, were the only two people on the seemingly empty planet; was celebrating Christmas the right thing to do? Shouldn't they be focusing on more important stuff. Shinji couldn't forget his own problems, and knew that they would increase as the days went on. Judging from the feelings he got within him sometimes, he knew it was only a matter of time until whatever was inside him erupted. Whenever that happened, he didn't want to be celebrating Christmas with Asuka. And still, he didn't mention this worry to her. He claimed that she was important to him, but he couldn't bring this up.

Closing his book with a snap, Shinji suddenly had a strong urge to fling it across the room. Bursts of anger were never something he had encountered before, so these were entirely new to him. For pointless things such as this, if something were to actually happen, and his anger exploded, what would happen. How would Asuka react?

Pushing these thoughts away, Shinji stood up, and placed the book back on the shelf. He stared at the bookcase for several seconds, searching for some answer within him, but was unable to find any. Without anything else to do, Shinji left the study, and walked up the flight of stairs to the second floor. Not even bothering to check on Asuka, Shinji entered his own room and crawled under the sheets, wishing that time could be stuck in a loop, where the past two weeks played endlessly.

* * *

><p><strong>So, obviously were moving into the Christmas season, both in this story, and in the real world. Typically, I do a Christmas story once every two years, and I haven't done one since 2011. Considering the season this story is currently taking place in, I decided to blend the element of Christmas into the story. Basically, I'll be posting a chapter every week in December, leading up to Christmas as I've done in the past. Look forward to that, as I know I will. (Already got the first four pages of the next chapter done, and some interesting things happen within those four pages) Look forward to it all.<strong>

**On a completely unrelated side note, White Album 2 is simply amazing. Ah that last episode...**


	14. Self

**Alright, heres the first chapter in this month of updates for the holiday season. I'll talk at the end of this.**

* * *

><p>Very rarely did Shinji ever dream, and even if he did, he never remembered them. This one, was different however. Dreams never made any sense, and typically started in the middle without the dreamer having any knowledge as to how they had gotten there. Some people were able to control their dreams, but this wasn't what Shinji experienced. His dream could have very easily been reality, simply because of how real everything seemed.<p>

He was in the Geofront, but it wasn't as he had seen it. Large chunks of the ground weren't uprooted, the trees weren't burnt to a crisp; it was lush and green: whole. Standing at the waters edge, Shinji could see the entirety of the Geofront. Was this how it had been before Third Impact?

Kneeling down, Shinji brought his hands to the water and cupped them, raising the water out of the lake, and letting it trickle between his fingers. As the water began falling back into the lake, Shinji noticed his reflection staring back at him. Staring back, that was probably the proper way to describe it. The reflection he saw of himself, was different. It certainly looked like him, but there was something gruesomely different.

It was very clear. The eyes were not the normal brown of Shinji Ikari, but scarlet, blood red.

Surprised by this, Shinji hastily stepped away from the edge, and tripped over his own feet, falling onto the cool sandy shore.

"I can't believe how cowardly you've become."

Shinji looked up, recognizing the voice of the person speaking. It was his own voice, but it seemed much crueler, almost hateful. As he sat upright, he saw something truly horrifying. Another Shinji Ikari, was stepping out of the lake, dressed in his standard white shirt and black pants. The molecules of water seemed to be repelling off him, almost as though they were somehow afraid of him. His red eyes were staring back into Shinji's own brown eyes, as though looking directly through him.

"What-" began Shinji.

"What am I?" replied Shinji, "the other you of course, but you seem to have forgotten. I certainly haven't. Without me, you wouldn't even be here right now."

The Shinji with red eyes smirked, taunting Shinji himself. This was the strangest experience ever. Shinji didn't even know where to begin, and was momentarily struck speechless.

"Can't talk huh?" said the Shinji with red eyes, clearly reading his mind. "I suppose thats understandable, you've forgotten so much. Granted, since we're the same person, I don't remember much either. Lilith sure didn't leave much to chance."

Shinji didn't understand the meaning behind the word Lilith, but had to assume it was a person of sorts. Still, this didn't answer what the entity standing before him was. It claimed it was himself, Shinji Ikari, but it was clearly not at the same time.

"Don't be a fool," started the Shinji with red eyes. "Everything you are, I am, and everything I am, you are. We are one in the same; two sides of the same coin."

"You say that you are me, but I don't believe that," said Shinji, finding his voice.

"Believe what you will. It doesn't change who we are," said the Shinji with red eyes. "Besides, you don't have much of a choice in the matter. Even you've begun to realize the changes you're undergoing. You can't refute that. After everything that happened since the building collapsed, you're leg healing, and that vision you had, along with the inexplicable feeling of a certain force; you can't ignore what is happening. What has happened before, will happen again. That much is inevitable."

"And what happened before?" asked Shinji.

"Awakening," replied Shinji. "It was suppressed until now, because you weren't conscious of it. Now that you've become aware of it, the process will speed up."

"How do I know you aren't lying about this. How do I know all of this isn't just some crazy dream that happened because I've been stressed out about, well, multiple things."

"My existence is enough to know that everything is happening again. You've realized it, but your body has an innate ability to heal itself, nor was this always the case. Still, ever since your leg broke, you've become aware of this fact. It always existed before now, in essence I suppose, but now, because of the severity of the injury, the change has begun again."

"I still don't understand what you're talking about," said Shinji, dazed over everything.

"No, I don't suppose you would," said the Shinji with red eyes. "Maybe it would be better to show you instead."

Turning away, the Shinji with red eyes approached the edge of the water, and stood still for several seconds. In a flash, he raised his arm, and then brought it down like a 18th century guillotine. What could only be described as an eruption of orange appeared in front of him, and cleanly split the lake apart, straight down the middle. Water quickly filled in the gaping hole that was left from the supernatural impact, and the Shinji with red eyes turned away from this show of superhuman power, returning his gaze to Shinji Ikari.

"What you just witnessed, was the release of whats known as an AT-field."

Shinji was dumbstruck by what he had seen, but that word jogged something in his memory. He had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't place the memory.

"As I'm no doubt aware, you have a multitude of questions for me, but I can't answer them. As I said, we are the same person, so we both lack any memory from what happened during those four months in Tokyo-3."

"But you can still use this," said Shinji, referring to the AT-field. "You must have some semblance of what you are."

"I'm you. Thats who I am. I am the you that has this ability. Why, our how I obtained it, that I have no idea. I have no trouble controlling it, and it feels second nature to use it. As you thought before, almost like an extension of oneself. That doesn't seem to be far from the truth."

"Then, this...I have this, AT-field thing?"

"Yes," said the Shinji with red eyes, frustration apparent on his face.

"And the red eyes?"

"Red eyes?"

"You never noticed?"

"No, I didn't," mumbled the Shinji with red eyes. He was not used to being puzzled, and something of this nature was unheard of. They were the same person, but fundamentally different at the same time.

"I don't know. Thats something you'd have to find out yourself."

As he said this, the world around Shinji Ikari began to go dark. Shadows creeped up on the far side of the lake and began rushing towards them. Everything was being swallowed up by the darkness. Was it ending, whatever this was?

"Looks like your dream is shifting," said the Shinji with red eyes.

"So then this was a dream?" asked Shinji, "and none of this was actually real?"

"Whether this world is real or not doesn't matter. What I said is true. Everything else I leave to you to find out.

The darkness passed over their side of the lake, and begun to absorb the Shinji with red eyes.

"One last thing," he said as the darkness slowly engulfed him. "Don't hesitate about talking to Asuka so much. She's stubborn to a fault, but clearly cares about you, even if she doesn't show it. Don't bottle these things up. Understanding may be the first step afterall."

Without giving Shinji any chance to talk further, the other Shinji disappeared into the darkness of the dream. At the same time, Shinji awoke in the real world.

* * *

><p>Far from the location of Asuka and Shinji, something returned to somebody. Raising her head, the white entity observed the object that had returned. It was wise for her to implement this as a precaution. She could never do anything about the boys origins, but she may be able to change his course. It was partially her fault to begin with afterall. Memory was a precious thing.<p>

With that out of the way, she returned to her work, concentrating on the sphere in front of her. Only two months had passed since they had departed; how much longer would it take? Months, years, decades? She hoped not. A promise was a promise though, so she would wait for as long as it took the two of them.

* * *

><p>That dream, no mater how much Shinji thought about it, he couldn't come to terms with what he had witnessed. Was what happened real, and was what his other self said true?<p>

When Shinji had awaken, it was in fit of confusion. The blankets were wrapped around him, and he had broken out in a cold sweat sometime during the night. He had tossed the sheets off himself, left his bedroom, and was now sitting down in the living room. He relit the fire, which had died out during the night, but he didn't know what time it currently was. He'd already tried going to sleep on the couch, but that had failed. So now, he was just wasting away the remaining hours until the sun rose. It wasn't ideal, but he was so wide awake now, that he couldn't sit still.

That dreamed seemed so real, and unlike most dreams, it wasn't fading away. Every moment of it, Shinji still retained. The smell of the air, the feel of the water as it passed between his fingers; all of these seemed so real as if he had actually experienced them in the real world. Then there was this thing, the AT-field that his other self had mentioned. After thinking about it, he recalled where he had heard it from. Back on the beach of Tokyo-3, when Asuka had been explaining everything about Nerv, the Angels, and the Evangelions, she had briefly touched on the subject of the AT-field, but hadn't gone into great depths about it. How was it that Shinji had this thing within him? Both the Evangelions and Angels had this, so what did that make him?

Other than that, the word Lilith had been spoken, and Shinji was positive he had never heard this before. But whoever it was, seemed to mean something to him somehow. Again, he was piecing things together as best he could, with what little information he had obtained.

The last words of his other self, he was having trouble getting them out of his head. The mention of Asuka had come so casually, that Shinji hadn't been given time to ask his other self about it. He didn't want to involve Asuka with any of this if possible, but he now realized how foolish that thought was. As long as they were together, they would share in both happiness, sadness, and hurt. These were all just a byproduct of living together, and whatever was happening to Shinji, would directly affect Asuka as well. From what Shinji had seen so far, Asuka was understanding with regards to his situation, and he was grateful for that. She didn't shun him, fear him, or treat him like some sort of monster. She acted the same around him no matter what, and Shinji hoped that with this new development, things would be no different. Still, he first had to explain things to her.

When he thought about what he had been told in the dream, it made sense, even if it was unbelievable. His AT-field, he was certain that he could feel it now. Before, he had a very loose grasp on it, almost a transparent like feel; now it seemed like a real object almost. He had briefly toyed with the idea of attempting to project it, just as his other self had done, but decided that he would wait on that. It was wise not to hurry these things; that road was best taken lightly. What Shinji had learned though, it couldn't be called pleasant, knowing that he was fundamentally different from any normal human being, and this weighed heavily on his mind. Now, at least he wasn't worried about who he was. He had finally gotten an answer, even if it wasn't one he had expected.

Glancing towards the window from where he sat, signs of the sun beginning to rise were imminent, as a warm, yellowish glow, began to appear on the horizon.

Shinji ate breakfast early that morning, shortly after the sun had risen, and fell asleep after, waiting for Asuka to come downstairs. He was unsure what time it occurred at, but at some point during the morning, Asuka found him sleeping on the couch, and promptly shook him awake.

"What are you doing sleeping down here?" asked Asuka, still apparently half asleep herself. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and the white shirt she was wearing was far too large for her growing body.

"I had difficulties sleeping last night," shrugged Shinji as he sat up.

Asuka didn't bother asking what these were, and instead turned her thoughts towards breakfast. With her complaining voice trailing after him, Shinji left the living room, and entered the kitchen, making Asuka's breakfast, as well as making another cup of coffee for himself. While Shinji made her breakfast, Asuka started talking about something, of which he really wasn't paying any attention to. His mind was still filled with that dream he had had.

"Oi, Shinji!? Are you listening to me?"

A sharp impact struck the back of Shinji's head, and he spun around to see Asuka standing behind him, her eyes sparking with annoyance. She had been sitting at the kitchen table, but at some point in the past few seconds, she had clearly moved.

"Sorry...what? I wasn't paying attention," mumbled Shinji, rubbing the back of his head.

"That was clear enough," said Asuka, crossing her arms. "I was saying that we should go up into the attic today, and see if there's any Christmas stuff."

Shinji had forgotten about Asuka's insistence yesterday that they had to celebrate Christmas. That thought couldn't be farther from his mind right now.

"Today?" replied Shinji. "Don't we still have a long while until then. You did say three weeks after all."

"Yeah, well, I want to put some decorations up."

"Why? Nobody is going to see them except us. And if you expect to go out and find a tree, then-"

"Even I know when its a hopeless cause. Besides, this can occupy us for the day at least."

While Shinji couldn't deny it would do just that, he had more pressing matters to attend to today.

"Do you think they'll actually have anything up there?" asked Shinji. They, referring to the houses previous residents.

"If they didn't, I'd have to question them as parents. They had two young daughters after all, so Christmas was a grand occasion for them. Hopefully they'll even have an artificial Christmas tree waiting for us."

Shinji rarely saw Asuka so excited about something, and it was certainly unlike her, beaming from ear to ear. Seeing this side of her, wasn't bad Shinji had to admit.

"After breakfast, I'll help," said Shinji.

"Like you ever had a choice," said Asuka as she elbowed him gently in the back. Shinji couldn't help but smile in spite of himself, laughing at how happy Asuka could be over something so simple. This made him want to hold back on what he had to say. Right now would only ruin the mood. Later tonight, maybe, but not right now.

After Asuka finished eating, she dragged Shinji down into the garage. The garage was empty, so whatever car the family had before, was out somewhere when Third Impact had happened. The garage itself, they hardly entered, and Shinji had only been in here twice since they had begun living there. The space was large enough for two cars to be parked, one in front of the other. It was more or less a single, large room. The hatch to the attic was at the far back wall, only accessible by a ladder. Thankfully, one of these was propped against the wall near the back wall, and they used this to climb up. Shinji had expected himself to be forced up first, but Asuka took the lead, with one of the flashlights in hand, crawling through the small opening.

"How is it up there?" Shinji called upwards.

"Dark and dusty," was all Asuka replied.

"Do you see anything?"

"Give me a second will you. I'm just trying not to sneeze right now."

Not having much choice, Shinji leaned against a nearby wall, watching the beam of light bouncing around in the attic above him. Once, Asuka did end up sneezing, and Shinji had to prevent himself from laughing at the surprising sound that escaped her mouth. He even suspected she was angry at him for hearing it.

Ten minutes later, he heard Asuka calling for him.

"Well, I found some stuff," said Asuka, as she poked her head out from the attic.

"Anything useful?" asked Shinji.

"Not sure. You tell me."

Without giving him any heads up, Asuka dropped a large, cardboard box directly above Shinji. Barely reaching his arms out to catch it, Shinji nearly dropped it, surprised at how heavy it was. Were there ceramic objects in there?

"There's a couple more I'm dropping down," grinned Asuka.

"Could you give me more time to prepare myself if the next are as heavy as this one."

"Quit complaining. At least you aren't covered in dust up here." Shinji didn't say it, but he almost wished there places had been swapped.

Asuka dropped four more boxes down to Shinji, making it a total of five boxes filled with Christmas stuff. Each box had 'Christmas' plastered on the side of it, so it wasn't difficult for Asuka knowing what was what when she had been digging through the attic. Leaving the attic, she closed the hatch and climbed down the ladder, where Shinji was already going through the different boxes.

"No tree then?" asked Shinji.

"Do you see one packed away in there?" replied Asuka sarcastically. She hadn't had much hope that she would find an artificial one up there, and had even combed the narrow space over multiple times.

"So, what have you found?" asked Asuka.

"Well, this one is filled entirely with lights...which doesn't help us very much." Shinji said this as he opened the lid to a single box. It was filled with lights, varying from the classic blue, red, and green, to the plain white ones.

"I hadn't thought about that, but lights don't really serve us any purpose," said Asuka, tilting her head as she glanced at the box. "What else then?"

"An old wreath, a bunch of different silk ornaments, several ornaments that look to be geared towards children, two hanging snow globes, and this is only in the first box. I haven't looked through the others yet."

"Get started then," said Asuka as she began to stand up.

"What are you going to do?" asked Shinji, surprised that she wasn't going to be helping him look through the different boxes. Asuka could be incredibly unhelpful at times, but this was something that she insisted upon, so seeing her uncaring like this was completely opposite of how she had been acting early.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Asuka. "What use is any of these ornaments and decorations if we don't have a tree."

"...I suppose you have a point," mumbled Shinji. "But what do you plan to do?"

"See if any of the other houses in the neighborhood have one."

It only took this single sentence for Shinji to recall the events of yesterday. He didn't want to see anything like that ever again, and whether Asuka liked it or not, he was going to put his foot down in regards to this. Call him paranoid or whatever, but he wasn't going to risk something like that happening, whether it seemed plausible or not.

"And if you intend on stopping me, I'll kick you so hard, you won't be able to move for the rest of the day."

Shinji didn't expect Asuka to fight back, and it showed on his face. Upon seeing this, Asuka let out a low sigh and said, "Shinji, I'm just walking from house to house, searching for an artificial tree. What could happen?"

Shinji bit his lips, trying desperately to think about something that could happen, but admittedly, coming up with nothing.

"I still don't like it," replied Shinji.

"Huh?" stammered Asuka.

"If you won't stay, then I'm coming as well."

"One person is enough," replied Asuka.

"Do you honestly think you could carry a tree, artificial or not by yourself?"

It was Asuka's turn to bite her lips; Shinji was right, she hadn't thought about that.

"You're being stubborn," she grumbled.

"Like you're one to talk," replied Shinji equally annoyed.

Asuka rounded on him, feeling suddenly angry at him. It had been a while since she had been this angry at Shinji. Now days, their arguments weren't meaningful, and honestly, more playful than anything. Annoyance was one thing, but Asuka felt legitimately angry at Shinji right now. She could take care of herself. She had been an Evangelion pilot after all, and while that was behind her now, it still helped to make her who she was today.

"Just because you saw one bad thing happen to me, doesn't mean you have to suddenly turn into an overprotective parent!"

"It's because I saw that one bad thing, that I don't want anything like that to become real!" Shinji felt his anger flare up as well, unaware that he was on the verge of shouting. He had to control his emotions better. If he acted solely on them...

"Stop looking after me so much!" shouted Asuka. "I can take care of myself!"

"Does it annoy you that I do this!? Would it be better if I just ignored you instead!?" Shinji shouted back at her.

'No, calm down,' he told himself. 'Shouting at each other like this won't help anything.'

"Maybe it would!" yelled Asuka.

They were inches away from each other, their faces bright red with anger, and yelling at each other. But Shinji found himself losing his anger as though it had evaporated. Really, petty fighting like this, wasn't going to get them anywhere. Was he acting like an overprotective parent? Well, maybe a little. But if Asuka had seen what he had seen...describing it just didn't have the same impact as actually viewing it. No matter what, he couldn't let a reality like that happen. But he didn't want to fight against Asuka either. He had hoped that they had gotten passed that point in their lives.

"What are we doing?" sighed Shinji rather meekly. This was not the retaliation that Asuka had expected, and she was surprised when Shinji sank onto a nearby box, not caring what the contents inside were.

"What did you say?" asked Asuka.

"This fighting," gestured Shinji, "it's stupid."

"You started it," said Asuka, anger still apparent on her face. "If you hadn't said anything, it would have been fine."

"Well, I did, and its still how I feel. Whether I'm being overprotective or not...well, I don't want what I saw to actually happen. I don't know if something like that, those visions could happen anytime you may be hurt, or if its entirely random. Either way, I don't want to take the risk. I said it yesterday Asuka, but I do consider you important to me...so...well-"

"Okay, stop there!"

"Eh?"

Asuka had crouched in front of Shinji and slapped him gently on both cheeks.

"What was that for?" asked Shinji.

"For saying something dumb of course," grumbled Asuka as she walked away from him with her back turned; she was feeling slightly embarrassed. She had forgotten about what Shinji had said yesterday, but was now reminded of it.

"And, I guess, I was being insensitive to you," continued Asuka. "When you saw...my death, I didn't know how strong an impact it would have on you. Maybe I just don't want to think about, 'what if,' at all. If I'm alive though, because of you Shinji, I guess I owe you."

"I don't think you owe me anything Asuka. We look after each other, which is only natural, and you've been kind towards my...circumstances. I don't think I've ever said how glad I am that you don't treat me any different since discovering my uniqueness."

"You're still the same boring Shinji. That much hasn't changed."

'How much longer will I stay that way? Will I change into something unrecognizable?'

Though Shinji thought this, he didn't voice his worries out loud. There was still a lot he had to explain to Asuka.

"So then, we're okay?" asked Shinji.

"Fine," nodded Asuka. "Now whether you're coming with me or not, I'm walking next door."

"Yeah I'm coming. Besides, you still need help moving the tree back here when the time comes."

"I'm sure I could handle it myself if I just took time."

With their anger forgotten, they walked back into the house, and changed into warmer clothes before walking outside, and braving the elements.

* * *

><p>It was now well into the afternoon, and the two of them had just returned to their house, with an artificial tree in tow. It was lucky that Shinji had accompanied Asuka, because she wouldn't have been able to get the tree out from where it was.<p>

In the two weeks since they had begun living in this neighborhood, and more importantly their house, not only had they hardly ventured out, but neither did they visit other houses. Everything they needed was within their grasp at their own place, so visiting the other houses never held much purpose. In fact, the only time they had been in other houses was when Asuka had initially searched for one with a fireplace, and Shinji hadn't even been in any before. Because of this, Asuka decided to search the houses that she had already visited. The first, being the one that seemed to be that of an older married couple, held the most promise in Asuka's opinion. At a certain age, going out and felling a tree, or simply buying one became too tedious, and an artificial one became the more practical solution. Still, after searching both the attic and basement, they weren't able to find a tree. They did find some Christmas ornaments, that seemed rather old and likely been in the family for a couple generations, so they set these aside incase they wanted them later.

After this first house, they continued down the block, running from door to door in avoiding the rain, but without much luck in either basements or attics. The neighborhood was largely filled with families that had children around, or younger than Shinji and Asuka's age. Considering that most families would prefer getting an actual tree when they had children, they were starting to lose hope in finding a fake one. Asuka was even beginning to think they should just forget the whole thing, when Shinji called out to her.

They were in the basement of a certain house, one which had been occupied by an older couple. The house itself was only one floor, excluding the basement which was little more than a small crawl space, and only accessible by a very steep set of steps; you had to nearly crouch down to walk through it. Concrete walls surrounded them, with pillars of wood acting as the support beams for the floor above them. A wide assortment of junk from scrap metal, strips of wooden planks, rusted tools, and a mini freezer that had long been abandoned, filled the space. Tucked into a smaller corner though, was an artificial tree that Shinji had found, covered in dust, apparently not used for several years.

He pointed this out to Asuka, and they both picked up each end of the tree, and hauled it up the steep stairs. If Asuka had been by herself, she would have likely been unable to carry it, as it was heavy enough by itself, but combined with the stairs which were little better than a ladder, it would have been almost impossible. After they brought it to the front door, Asuka rushed back to their own house, and drove the car down several houses and parked alongside the curb. The tree barely fit in the back hatch of their station wagon, and the hatch wouldn't close properly, so it hung open as they drove the short distance to their house.

Now, they had just brought the tree inside, and Asuka had finished dusting it off, but the question of were to put it still remained. The obvious place was the living room they spent so much time in, with the roaring fire, but Asuka was still having difficulties deciding.

"What do you think Shinji?" Asuka asked as she turned towards him.

"I don't care where we put the damn thing, as long as it gets placed somewhere," Shinji muttered unenthusiastically.

Asuka frowned at his lack of enthusiasm, but didn't comment any further. Shinji had been incredibly unhelpful ever since they got the tree through their front door. He didn't see how important finding the right location for the tree was, and Asuka had already asked his opinion several times. If she wasn't still debating on where to put it, she probably would have stomped on his foot.

The living room wasn't large by some houses standards, and lacked a vaulted ceiling, so the tree barely fit. Asuka wondered where the family that lived here once, would have put their tree when they got one every year, but couldn't figure it out. It certainly seemed that they would have had to move some furniture around to make it fit. Even the other living room, the one that had a flatscreen T.V. didn't have any room, but Asuka wouldn't have put the tree there, even if there was room.

Eventually, Asuka decided to place the tree in the corner, directly to the left of the fireplace. Because of that, they had to move the glass table away from the window. Shinji was just glad that she had made up her mind.

With the position of the tree finally settled, they brought the boxes up from the garage and placed them beside the couch. Before going through the rest of them though, Shinji made a suggestion, and Asuka was only too happy to agree. It had been many hours now since breakfast, and both of them were hungry. Shinji made a hurried batch of sandwiches, and they ate them in the living room.

"Thanks for this," said Asuka as she leaned into the couch cushion. She had just finished her third sandwich, unaware of how hungry she had been.

"No problem," shrugged Shinji. He had been hungry as well, considering how early he had been up. He was even starting to feel a bit drowsy, but he fought it for now.

Finishing the sandwiches, they began going through the rest of the boxes, and hanging ornaments on the tree as they did. The box of lights they left in a corner, forgotten, since they severed no real purpose. Though Shinji helped, it was ultimately Asuka who gave the finally say so on which ornaments to hang, and which were too ugly. She was incredibly picky, and once or twice asked Shinji if he was an idiot for suggesting something so ugly. Even so, Shinji had to admit that he was having fun, but knowing what he had to tell Asuka eventually still weighed on his mind. Ultimately, it came down to how he felt he should explain something like that. While Shinji was holding this debate in his mind, Asuka found a star in the fourth box, which brought his mind away from this temporarily.

"What do you think?" asked Asuka as she held the star in front of Shinji.

"Its not bad...I think?"

"You really don't know anything, do you?" sighed Asuka in pity. "I wouldn't call it ideal, but it will work."

The star was relatively cheap, made out of plastic, and had a single bulb inside of it. Holes covered the star, supposedly allowing the light from the bulb to shine through. This didn't serve much purpose for them, but it was the only suitable thing to put on top of the tree. Handing the star to Shinji, who was taller than Asuka, he stood on his tiptoes, placing the star at the top of the tree.

"It looks kinda cheesy," muttered Asuka.

"I can take it back down then if you want," said Shinji.

"No, thats okay. Having nothing up there would just look weird. Alright, help me with the rest of this stuff," said Asuka as she pointed to a large pile of ornaments. They had taken them out of the box, and strewn them across the floor. As Shinji went to reply, his tiredness won over, and he was unable to stifle the yawn that escaped his lips.

"You tired?" asked Asuka.

"Like I said, I didn't sleep much last night," replied Shinji.

Asuka eyed him for several seconds, debating something, until she finally opened her mouth and said, "Take a nap then if you're tired. I can handle the rest of this."

"No Asuka, its fine. I'll stay and help."

"You're tired. Sleep," replied Asuka, her voice bristling with authority.

Shinji didn't think they would start yelling at each other like earlier, but he didn't want to give reason to either. Thus, he decided on a compromise.

"I'll stay down here, and sleep on the couch then."

Raising an eyebrow, Asuka asked, "You think you can sleep with me searching through boxes?"

"I don't think I'll have a problem with it."

"...Fine, do as you want," said Asuka, resigning herself to the situation.

Walking upstairs, Shinji grabbed a blanket and pillow off his bed, before returning downstairs, and laid down on the couch. Since he didn't get much sleep last night, he had little difficulty drifting off in a matter of minutes.

As for Asuka, she paused in her work, and glanced towards him. She couldn't believe that he could fall asleep so easily like that. If it had been Asuka sleeping there instead, she would have found it much more difficult, for a multitude of reasons. Still, it wasn't everyday that she got to see Shinji like this. Smirking briefly, she continued sorting through the ornaments, deciding what was worthy to go on their tree, and what was not.

* * *

><p>Several hours passed, and Asuka had long finished decorating the tree when Shinji awoke. Without anything better to do, after she finished with the ornaments, Asuka continued reading a book, leaning up against the couch. Turning a page, she felt somebody stir above her. Glancing upwards, she saw Shinji rolling over, and thought that he was simply repositioning himself. Seconds later though, he turned back over, his face facing hers now, and slowly opened his eyes. Asuka felt a blush creeping up her face, but ignored it for now.<p>

"Good morning Shinji, or I guess its closer to evening now." Asuka was right; night was quickly descending on them.

"How long was I asleep for?" asked Shinji, still not entirely aware how close Asuka was to him.

"Almost three hours if I had to guess," said Asuka.

"Hmmm...huh? What are you doing?" asked Shinji, now fully aware that Asuka was leaning against the couch, directly where his head was placed.

"I was reading, until somebody interrupted me," said Asuka indicating her book.

"Oh, sorry about that," mumbled Shinji. Usually, it was he who was laying where Asuka was, so seeing their positions swapped was strange.

"Did you finish the tree?" asked Shinji as he began sitting up.

"See for yourself."

As she said this, Shinji turned to look at the tree. Even at just a glance, it was obvious that Asuka spent considerable time thinking how best to go about decorating it. Without any lights, there was a significant lack of glow emanating from the tree. To make up for this, Asuka had rather cleverly used the plain silk balls colored red, blue, and green, wrapping them around the tree in a design, similar to that of the lights. This pattern consisted three times around the tree, with an assortment of different ornaments spaced in between them. Shinji even noticed, that Asuka had used two of the children's ornaments. Besides the tree, on the glass table which had been moved away from the window enough to give the tree room, was a perfect crèche, displaying the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Asuka had apparently found this packed carefully away by itself in one of the boxes.

"You sure seemed to put a lot of thought into it," remarked Shinji.

"You can tell?"

"Its hard not to."

"Hmph," snorted Asuka. Getting up, she sat down on the couch beside Shinji, admiring her work from where she sat.

"How did you come up with the idea for the silk balls?" asked Shinji.

"It just sorta came to me," replied Asuka with a shrug.

"Well, it does give the tree a better feel, like its less plain."

"I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment, or not. I feel like that model took longer to put together than hanging the actual ornaments though," she said while gesturing to the crèche.

"It certainly is a nice touch," said Shinji.

"I agree."

Neither of them could be considered religious, but they still knew the story about the birth of Jesus. It is what Christmas was about in the first place.

"You getting hungry at all?" asked Shinji.

"No, not really," said Asuka. "I think I wanna stay like this for a while."

After she said this, Asuka grabbed the blanket that Shinji had put to the side, and wrapped one end around herself. Taking a brief glance at it, she decided to offer it to Shinji as well. The blanket was large enough for both of them, even if they were on opposite ends of the couch. Shinji took it gratefully, albeit, a little surprised at Asuka's offer. He didn't say anything on the subject, nor did he remind her that it was his to begin with.

They sat in silence, wrapped in the same blanket, watching the fire blazing in front of them. It was turning out to be a different day then Shinji had anticipated. When Asuka had reminded him about their talk of Christmas, and told him what she wanted to do, he had groaned inwardly. Now, he was glad that she had suggested this. Even if it didn't hold any significance, and was something from their past lives, it still felt somehow right to be doing this. It helped to put off what he had to do eventually at least.

Was right now, the moment when he should bring his dream up? He had had that same thought throughout the entire day, but always put it off till later. Was he afraid of what her reply would be? Or did he believe that if he ignored it for long enough, it would just go away. Either way, he had repeatedly put this off, and the mood seemed to be good between them currently. Maybe right now was-

"Hey Shinji?" asked Asuka.

"..."

"Shinji!"

"What, sorry?" replied Shinji, startled at Asuka's sudden shout. He hadn't heard her the first time, lost in his own thoughts.

"Don't tell me you're tired again."

"No...I was just thinking about something. What did you want?"

"I just thought of something."

"What?"

"Well, about Christmas and all. Since it is something that comes with the holiday, I was thinking that you should get me something."

Shinji nearly pointed out how pointless this suggestion was, considering whatever they found was essentially theirs. A present for Asuka though; he couldn't even begin to imagine what she would like. It was a funny thought to think about.

"So, what about myself then?"

"What about you?" replied Asuka, clearly not thinking that Shinji needed a present.

"Its unfair that I only would have to get you something. If we're doing this, it has to be a proper gift exchange."

"Why should I?"

"Because if you don't get me something, I won't get you anything."

"Jeez, fine. We'll do a damn gift exchange then," grumbled Asuka. "But I expect you to find me something amazing."

'I'll worry about that later,' thought Shinji. He had other things he wanted to get to, but Asuka didn't seem to be in the mood to talk anymore. Standing up, she let the blanket slide off her and stretched.

"What are you doing?" asked Shinji.

Turning back towards him, she said, "I'm going upstairs I think. All the work today, with the tree and all, made me tired, so I think I'm gonna turn in early. Not to mention that seeing you sleep made me feel tired as well."

"Without dinner?"

"I'm still not really hungry. Maybe if I awake up later, I will be. But not right now. I assume you're wide awake currently?"

"Yeah, more or less," said Shinji.

'Tell her. Tell her now before she goes upstairs, otherwise you wont have a chance later,' said a voice in his head.

"Well, night then," said Asuka as she turned towards the staircase, and began ascending it.

'Damn it! Move!' Shinji told himself, but his body didn't seem to want to listen to him. Eventually, the sound of Asuka's footsteps disappeared upstairs, and Shinji lost his chance.

'Am I a coward?" asked Shinji towards himself. 'Do I simply not want to risk pushing Asuka away? Is it better for her to not know about this, or tell her? I was told to trust her, but I don't know if I can even trust myself.'

Never before had Shinji thought about these kind of things. If he wasn't like this, if he didn't have this power, they could have continued living peacefully, uncaring about what the future might hold. No matter what, Shinji couldn't ignore what he was anymore. He had this power, but didn't know anything about it, where it had come from, why he had it. Did it have something to do with his memory loss? Was he part of some experiment at Nerv? Was his power the reason he was alive? Then what of Asuka? Was the reason they were together like this, because she had this power as well? That seemed ridiculous though. Asuka wasn't like him, that much he was sure of.

Leaving the couch, he decided to occupy himself, and packed away the remaining ornaments Asuka had left on the ground. For now, he would store the boxes back in the garage, but leave them out of the attic. He couldn't be sure that Asuka wouldn't want to add more things later.

With that done, Shinji returned to the kitchen, made himself soup, and brewed himself a cup of tea. The rain had subsided outside, and was only sprinkling now, so Shinji brought one of the dining room chairs outside and sat beside the grill, drinking his soup and sipping his tea. Enough time had passed by, where Asuka was almost certainly asleep. If so, then Shinji should be able to attempt this right now.

Even though he had wanted to explain things to Asuka, he was unsure how to go about doing that. In his dream, his other self had demonstrated the AT-field, leaving no doubt to its power. Showing it to Asuka was the easiest way to convince her, but he also felt as though doing so would frighten her. Especially if it was Shinji's first time projecting it as well. Right now, it would be better if he tried practicing with it first, just so he understood how to control it. His other self had used it with ease, but Shinji suspected his first attempt wasn't going to be so easy.

Finishing his tea and soup, he returned inside and left his dishes in the sink. Donning a jacket from the closet near the front door, he quietly turned the knob, and exited out into the night.

Shinji walked down several rows of houses, glance back over his shoulder towards his own house that he had just left. He wanted to be sure that the window to the master bedroom, Asuka's room, wasn't able to see him from where he stood. The flash of orange may be impossible to hide, but with luck, Asuka won't notice it at all.

Reaching the end of the road, Shinji looked down both sides of the street. The rain had begun picking up again, and he noticed that he was starting to shiver. Best get this over with he assumed.

He once looked at his AT-field as an extension of himself, and his other self in his dream said that he was essentially right. It was far more than that however. An extension, was different compared to something that was a part of him, innate almost, like another limb that was normal to him, but abnormal to others. He understood now, that his AT-field was something that was part of who he was.

What was an AT-field though? Asuka's brief explanation hadn't mentioned that, so Shinji could only speculate. Some form of energy seemed obvious, but it went deeper than that. The AT-field was part of him, built into his DNA. Was it a manifestation, like his soul or something? Shinji didn't know whether he was right or wrong in this speculation, only that it was a part of who he was.

In his dream, his other self had controlled it so easily. He had swung his arm down, and the AT-field had projected according to his thoughts. Was it that easy? Shinji didn't think so, and almost instinctively knew that there was something else. He could feel his AT-field, sense its presence within him. It was almost like, he had to throw it out, and mold it using his thoughts. Was it possible to create whatever he wanted then, if he thought deeply enough about it? For now though, Shinji thought that he would stick to something simple.

Deciding to do something similar to what his other self had done, he turned his gaze upwards towards the sky. If he had wanted, he probably could have destroyed something, like a telephone pole or something, but unwanted destruction was sure to wake Asuka with the loud racket. Instead, simply sending it upwards towards the sky would suffice for now. Did his AT-field have a range, or did it depend on his own thoughts?

Gathering himself, he thought about the shape that he wanted. Simple, almost like a narrow blade, that could still cut anything. Imagining the image in his mind, he looked upwards again, before swinging his right arm towards the night sky. The flash of orange certainly happened, but it wasn't like Shinji had expected. Instead of a narrow blade, something closer to the width of a broadsword was suddenly projected in front of him. Seconds later, there was a rushing feeling that Shinji got, as his AT-field returned to him. This wasn't what he expected. Was his imaging that bad for the narrow blade, or did he just not understand how to use his AT-field?

Practicing several more times, each time Shinji did, he was only able to project the broadsword like blade. Shifting to different images, Shinji tried a simple square, a dome, and a wall. Each of them were larger then he expected, and the wall in particular seemed to have a certainly intensity about it that the others hadn't. Was his AT-field simply too powerful for him to control right now? Shinji was suddenly glad that he decided to try this first, before showing Asuka. The results could have been disastrous.

Letting his arm fall back to his side, he suddenly felt drained of energy. He hadn't felt this exhausted in a long time, and assumed it had to do with using his AT-field. Currently, prolonged usage of it wore him out. Was his AT-field then the reason that he never grew tired, and the reason he regenerated from wounds, or was that something else?

Calling it quits there, Shinji turned away from the street corner, and began walking back towards the house. The rain fell around him, but he hardly noticed it right now. He wasn't even cold anymore.

As difficult as it was for him to believe, his AT-field was considerably power, just judging by what he had witnessed. His mind, was a different story. The memories that he lacked from those fours months, were clearly crucial in building up his AT-field. Experience is what he had likely accumulated from constant usage of it, but as he was currently, he was just beginning to understand its uses. His body was no different from that time, but it was his mind that lacked the ability to use the AT-field properly. Its usage though, that was a problem. He knew that the Evangelions and Angels both had AT-fields, and understood that they both fought using them. Did he fight using his AT-field then, against the Angels as an Evangelion pilot. But then-

"Does that mean I fused with the Evangelion somehow, and gained this ability, or am I-"

'Am I an Angel?' he finished in his mind.

Shinji paused on the side of the street, thinking that. An Angel...was it possible he was something like that? The AT-field, regenerating tissue...red eyes.

'Thats right,' Shinji thought suddenly. 'My self inside my dream had red eyes.'

Without further thought, he rushed back to his house. Marching up the front steps to the door, he quietly opened it, not wanting to wake Asuka now of all times. Entering the dining room, he grabbed one of the candles and struck a match, before entering the bathroom on the ground floor. Placing the candle on the bathroom counter, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. His reflection stared back at him, devoid of red eyes, the normal brown ones looking back at him.

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't known what to expect, but he was relieved that his eyes were still their normal brown.

'I'm over thinking this,' thought Shinji.

Leaving the bathroom, he blew out the candle, and placed it back on the dining room table. Even though he had taken a nap earlier, he felt unbelievable tired, and trudged his way upstairs. Changing out of his wet clothes, he threw himself down onto the mattress and was out in a matter of minutes, breathing deeply, without any dream interrupting his sleep tonight.

Minutes passed, before a slight creak was heard at the end of the upstairs hallway. Footsteps fell onto the carpet, before stopping at Shinji's door. He had left the door ajar, and the hand had only to press gently against it, opening the door slowly. Asuka peered into Shinji's room from the hallway, a frown barely visible on her face due to the fading moonlight. She didn't say anything, but simply stared at his peaceful body for several minutes, until she retreated from his door, and returned to her own room. Asuka didn't know why Shinji had left the house at such an hour, but hoped that he would eventually tell her.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so first off, this chapter was a lot of fun to write, for obvious reasons. And I hope that everybody understood that brief two paragraph section after the opening. It was a big debate for me, whether to include that or not, when this story (at least half of it) is entirely about Shinji and Asuka's journey to grow close to each other again. Its called Two of Us, so thats to be expected.<strong>

**Onto my update pattern. Today, being Wednesday, is now three weeks away from Christmas, so I'll be posting a new chapter every Wednesday, leading up to Christmas. Depending on how much I actually end of writing, there may be two chapters that come out in one week, or maybe I'll just do two chapters Christmas day. That actually makes more sense. So it shall be!**

**Until then!**


	15. Distance

**As promised, here's the second chapter in this month of updates. Just this passed week, I felt like going back and watching some Evangelion, since it's been a while, and I sometimes forget how completely f-ed up that show is. Fantastic story and character relationships, but still heavily screwed up. Alright, just thought I'd say that. Till next week then!**

* * *

><p>Five days had passed since Shinji first used his AT-field, and since that first night, he had practiced every night since then. Unfortunately, he didn't feel like much had changed since that first night. Try as he might, he couldn't get his AT-field to form properly. No matter what shape he imagined, or tried to project, it didn't act like he wanted it to. Every night he did this, without any change, and came home dejected each time.<p>

Of course, he didn't know this, but Asuka knew that he was doing this every night. She wasn't a fool, and though she didn't investigate what he was doing, she did check up on him every night when he came back, passed out on his bed. During one of these nights, Asuka caught Shinji snoring rather loudly, and she nearly burst out laughing at that. 'What could make him this tired though?' is what she always thought. Whatever he was doing late in the night, Asuka didn't think it was merely taking a walk.

Besides Shinji's constant practice with his AT-field, and Asuka wondering when Shinji was going to tell her this, their relationship hadn't changed much. They were closer to each other, but it almost felt like a stalemate. When they had been living in the tent, sleeping next to each other was natural occurrence, and though they still spent every waking moment in each others company, it almost felt like something was missing. Neither brought this up of course, either unsure about what they were feeling, or having more important things on their mind.

Nearly a week had passed now since Asuka had told them they were celebrating Christmas, and with the tree set up and everything, it was just a matter of time until that day approached. Looking forward towards the future, Asuka decided that this may as well be the moment when they start keeping track of the days. When they had been searching for a tree five days ago, Asuka remembered spotting a calendar in somebody's house, and left to go get it. Shinji had begrudging obeyed her wishes and not followed her. Christmas fell on the final Friday in 2015, so considering that Asuka had said, 'lets celebrate Christmas in three weeks,' that basically meant that the first Friday in December was when they began counting the days. Of course, they both knew that this was likely inaccurate, since they never did figure out exactly what day Third Impact occurred on. Still, thinking that it was the 10th of December in the year 2015 made it all seem more real to them.

Shinji hadn't forgotten about Asuka's unreasonable request either. No matter how unreasonable it was however, Shinji didn't see how he could get around it. A present, well, it wasn't as though Shinji didn't have an unlimited amount of options. Problem was, no matter how long he had been around Asuka, he didn't have a clue as to what she liked. Shinji was no expert in gift exchanges, having never given a gift to anybody ever before, but tacking on the fact that Asuka was a girl, Shinji felt his situation was hopeless. Asking what Asuka would like didn't help either, since Shinji had already tried that approached. She had simply told him, 'Get me something you think I'll like.' Shinji knew Asuka too well to know that, if what he got her didn't live up to her expectations, she would break him. But Shinji had to think that, Asuka had to get him something as well, so was she having a similarly difficult time in her decision?

With these worrying thoughts, and no progression towards improving his control over his AT-field, Shinji woke up that Thursday morning. Walking downstairs already fully dressed, he began making breakfast, and was shortly joined by Asuka.

"Coffee or tea?" asked Shinji.

"Coffee I think," said Asuka as she trifled a yawn. Shinji only noticed then, that Asuka had a towel tucked under her arm.

"Isn't it a little cold to be taking a shower?" asked Shinji.

"The rain has stopped for now, so I'm going to take this opportunity."

"Even so," muttered Shinji.

Asuka walked by him, indifferent towards his question about it being too cold. Freezing or not, she still intended on taking a shower; warming up near the fire took little time anyway.

While Shinji finished cooking breakfast, Asuka stepped out into the backyard, walking around the corner from the kitchen window, and grabbed the two buckets. The rain water that filled them was usually enough so that she didn't have to fill them herself, as it was today. Pulling off her shirt, pants, and underwear, she tossed them to the side momentarily. The clouds overhead weren't nearly as dark as they had been in recent memory, and Asuka hoped that they may get some respite from the rain.

Rinsing down her body, she shivered at the cold water, and quickly applied shampoo to her hair. Pouring more water over her head, she washed the shampoo away, and ran her hands through her hair. She would have liked to apply conditioner as well, but a third rinse was pushing her plummeting temperature. Wrapping a towel around herself, she bent down, grabbing the clothes she had tossed aside, and returned inside.

"Breakfast almost done?" asked Asuka as she stepped through the side door.

"Close," said Shinji, glancing briefly at Asuka before looking away quickly. "You have enough time to dry off I think."

"Okay," said Asuka, giving Shinji one passing look before leaving the kitchen. When she did, Shinji let out a low sigh. Every time she did this, Shinji couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Her wet hair, the water molecules clinging to her skin, the fact that she was wrapped in nothing but a towel; these thoughts naturally passed through Shinji's mind, and a part of him suspected that Asuka enjoyed seeing him flustered. The only times he dared taking a shower, was when he knew Asuka was busy doing something else, and even then he was cautious.

In the living room, Asuka had already finished changing, and was now finishing drying her hair. She didn't feel uncomfortable changing here, even though Shinji was only a single room away. She had grown used to these situations, and knew that Shinji didn't have it in him to peep anyway.

Sitting down on the couch, she waited for the announcement of breakfast being done, but meanwhile, mulled over some of her thoughts. It was now more than two months since her and Shinji had begun living together. In that short amount of time, Asuka couldn't tell whether she had grown at all. Matured, maybe, but in a physical sense, she couldn't tell if she was any different. Even Shinji himself, didn't seem any different from when she had first met him.

'Why am I thinking about him?' wondered Asuka.

Well, there was still his present to considered. Asuka wasn't sure what to get him, only knowing that he had some taste for classical music, of which she only knew a couple songs from Germany. Other than that, she didn't know what he liked, or what his interests were. Getting a present for somebody when you had so little to go on, was certainly difficult. Other than that, his late night adventures were starting to bug her. When was he going to tell her what he was doing?

"Asuka, breakfast is ready," Shinji called from the other room.

"Alright," Asuka replied back.

Getting up, she entered the dining room, only to find Shinji just finishing laying out the table with silverware and plates.

"Whats with this?" asked Asuka gesturing towards the extravagant setting.

Shrugging, Shinji replied, "Just thought that doing something like this every now and then wouldn't be bad."

"If you say so," frowned Asuka.

Considering that the long table had only been set for two, Asuka was deciding which end to sit at. Admittedly though, sitting on opposite sides of the table when it was just the two of them seemed rather pointless. While Shinji was in the kitchen, Asuka moved the plates so that they were sitting beside each other, instead of far away. As Shinji came back into the living room, he paused as he saw what Asuka had done.

"It doesn't make much sense to be spaced so far apart," said Asuka, in answer to Shinji's unspoken question.

Shinji didn't reply to Asuka, instead, setting two cups of coffee on the table that he had been carrying, before returning to the kitchen with the rest. When he returned, it was with a large, steaming pot of rice, with some sort of sauce spread over it.

"Not exactly breakfast material," commented Asuka.

"Not like we can be choosy in what our options are."

"Speaking of which, if the day continues to be like this, I think we should go to grocery store."

"I didn't think you'd be one to suggest that," said Shinji as he sat down beside her. "Though you are right." Shinji would like to get out of the house for a while as well.

They ate breakfast, conscious of each others presence and trying not to bump elbows, but continually kept a conversation going. Shinji couldn't explain it though, but it felt like they were being unusually polite to each other, like a lukewarm feeling. Shinji knew that he had to explain his AT-field to Asuka eventually, but that was after he finally learned how to control it properly. As for Asuka, what did she seem hesitant about?

After dinner, Shinji washed the plates, while Asuka changed into something more comfortable. When she came back downstairs, she was decked out in full winter gear, complete with jacket, mittens, and a scarf.

"Aren't you overdoing it?" asked Shinji as he spotted Asuka's attire.

"Your not the one who took a shower earlier. It's freezing out there," retorted Asuka.

Grinning slightly, Shinji finished washing the last dish, and walked to the front door, grabbing a jacket out of the closet.

"Ready?" asked Asuka.

Nodding, Shinji led the way out the door, and to their car.

* * *

><p>This was only there second time going to this grocery store since they had begun living at their house. It wasn't relatively far, but Asuka had to drive slower now because of the presence of ice on the road. Every time they hit a patch of ice, Shinji braced himself, fearing that they'd suddenly go spinning out of control. Asuka didn't seem worried at all however, and always smirked at Shinji whenever this happened. Maybe if he was driving the car, and was in control of the situation, he would feel better about it.<p>

Arriving at the store, Asuka parked the car directly in front, and stepped out. A brief breeze played across her face, tickling her nose, and making her hair blow in the wind; combined with the breeze, it must have been close to below freezing.

"Lets get this over with," said Asuka.

"Agreed," replied Shinji. Though he was rarely affected by the cold, even he was starting to wish that he had added an extra layer of clothes.

Stepping through the doors, Shinji grabbed a shopping cart, and wheeled it further into the store. Because of the rain and wind, water had been blown into the front of the store, and had now frozen over, making it difficult to pass the first few feet passed the entrance. Asuka slipped several times, and inadvertently grabbed onto Shinji, pulling him down with her. Though Shinji grumbled about it each time, he still assisted in helping Asuka up, who's chinks were always tinged red. Bypassing this treacherous blockade, Shinji pushed the cart down the aisle, pulling things off at random. Asuka wandered down other aisles, thinking of anything specifically they might needed, but ultimately leaving the decision up to Shinji; he was the one who cooked as it was.

Returning to the aisle that Shinji was on, she paused beside him, noticing where his gaze was directed.

"What are you thinking?" asked Asuka.

"Spaghetti for tonight I think," replied Shinji. He was looking at a clear package of pasta, debating on whether to get it or not.

"Can you make that though?" asked Asuka

"Sure. Tomato sauce, some salt, garlic, olives...nothing else besides that. Boiling the pasta might take some time with the grill we have, but other than that, it shouldn't be a problem. Unless you had something else in mind?"

"No, this actually works. I've been getting sick of rice."

"I didn't think I would either, being Japanese, but I have to agree with you," agreed Shinji.

Making his decision, he grabbed the spaghetti pasta off the shelf, and gathered up the remaining ingredients required for dinner tonight. Afterwards, they left the store, being extra careful on there way out. Stacking the groceries into their car, they pushed the cart off into some random direction, and piled back in. As nice as it was to get out of the house for a while, Shinji was just glad that they were returning. This cold was really starting to bother him, and he looking forward to the warmth of the fireplace at home.

Putting the car in gear, Asuka began backing out, looking over her shoulder until she changed gears, and drove away. She was careful as usual when returning home, avoiding patches of ice when she could, and driving extra careful over those that she couldn't avoid. In little to no time, they were driving back down their neighborhood street, and pulling into their houses driveway.

Leaning back in her seat, Asuka let out a low sigh, her breath visible because of the cold.

"I don't think I'm going to be moving very far away from the fireplace today," said Asuka.

Shinji wasn't paying attention to her however. He was already out of the car, and had been about to open the back hatch to begin unloading the groceries when he saw something falling from the heavens. Holding out his palm, the ice crystal melted in his hand as it came in contact with his skin. Looking up again, he saw similar crystals falling from the sky; it had finally begun snowing.

"Just great," groaned Asuka.

Turning towards his right, he saw Asuka leaning against the car, frowning, as she looked up towards the sky.

"With all the rain we've been getting, it was only a matter of time until it started snowing. I surprised you aren't happy anyway, considering how much you enjoy Christmas."

"It's one thing to enjoy a white Christmas while inside, with the heat on, and a cup of hot chocolate. It's entirely different to have a white Christmas, without heat, or hot chocolate, to soothe you."

"I don't dislike it though," said Shinji truthfully.

"Thats you," grumbled Asuka. Glancing towards the sky one final time, she turned towards Shinji and said, "Come on, lets hurry this up. I don't want to be standing out here forever because you're so fascinated with the sky."

'You could have gone inside if you wanted to,' thought Shinji, but he didn't mention this.

Together, they gathered up the groceries, and brought them inside, retreating from the cold. Shinji stored everything away, and then returned to the living room, where Asuka was already buried under two blankets, only the top of her head visible from where he stood.

"You didn't even bother changing out of your clothes?"

"Its warmer this way," retorted Asuka, her eyes narrowing in defiance.

Shinji nearly grinned, but stopped himself as he caught the glint in her eyes. Still, he couldn't deny how warm to probably was under those blankets. So, walking around the edge of the couch, he sat on the side furthest from Asuka, and threw the two blankets over himself. Asuka smirked at him, but didn't say anything. After several moments, Asuka grabbed a book that she had left by the couch and began reading, and seconds later, Shinji didn't the same thing. Still, as Shinji began reading, he was aware of the enormousness of the space separating them, and how it seemed so empty.

* * *

><p>They passed the rest of the day as such, with very little interactions between each other, until dinner arrived later that day. At some point, Shinji put down his book and entered the kitchen, beginning to boil the water. Meanwhile, Asuka had put her book to the side, and laid down on the couch, stretching her legs outward. The snow had continued at a steady rate, but had stopped for now, though there was still at least three inches that had accumulated outside by now.<p>

"It'll take some time for the water to boil to the point where I can add the pasta," came Shinji's voice.

Tilting her head upwards, Asuka saw Shinji leaning against the doorway that led towards the kitchen.

"How long?"

"Not sure," said Shinji as he walked towards the couch. Moving her feet out of the way, Asuka sat up, letting Shinji sit beside her. They sat in silence for several seconds, both having their own thoughts on their minds. As for Asuka, she was wondering whether she should just admit to Shinji that she knew he was leaving the house every night. On the other hand, Shinji was debating whether he should just flat out tell Asuka about his AT-field. In the end, neither of them mentioned their worries, and the stalemate continued

When the water reached boiling point, Shinji returned to the kitchen, and continued preparing dinner, and after another twenty minutes, called Asuka in. They ate dinner together in relative silence, opposite of how breakfast had been, and afterwards, Shinji washed the dishes by himself; Asuka had already gone upstairs, complaining about the cold. It would have been warmer downstairs, but Shinji got the feeling she would rather be left alone. Even he-

In the midst of cleaning the glass that he had clasped in his hand, it suddenly shattered, showering his hand with fragments of glass. A shriek of pain forced itself upwards towards his throat, but Shinji battled against it, subduing it in the end. His hand stung with pain, sharp pieces of glass deeply dug into his skin. What had happened? Did he clench the glass too tightly by accident, or was it something else?

The sound of running feet alerted Shinji to the presence of Asuka, and as he turned around, he saw her jumping the last few steps of the staircase, before darting into the kitchen.

"What happened?" asked Asuka, seeing the shattered remains of the glass at Shinji's feet.

"Nothing," said Shinji, turning away from Asuka and hiding his bleeding hand.

"Don't treat me like an idiot Shinji," said Asuka. Taking several steps toward him, she grabbed his right arm, and spun him around, her eyes immediately locking onto his bloody hand.

"Shinji, how-" began Asuka, but she never finished. Just as it had done before, Shinji's hand began regenerating, except this time, it seemed different. Instead of the blood flowing back into the wound like it had done before, the wound began regenerating, several million cells working in conjunction. The glass was first forced out of the wound, and then the skin began scabbing over. As the scabs turned into skin, it left the color shiny and raw, before shortly looking as though nothing had ever happened.

Being as this was only the second time either of them had seen this, neither Shinji, nor Asuka, was sure how to retort to this. But Shinji, in a far back corner of his mind, knew that the change in his regeneration was due to his practice with his AT-field. Maybe he was improving in a way that he couldn't see?

"Are you okay?" asked Asuka, breaking the silence.

Looking at her for the first time, Shinji tried smiling, and said, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"No you're not," said Asuka, seeing through Shinji's facade. "How could you be fine after something like this? I mean-"

"This isn't anything new Asuka," Shinji reminded her.

"But it still reminds you...reminds you of you are," said Asuka, pausing in the midst of her sentence.

"Like I said, I'm fine," said Shinji.

Turning away from her, Shinji began bending down to clean up the broken fragments of glass, but Asuka wasn't done with him yet.

"How did this glass break?"

"I dropped it," muttered Shinji.

"Then why is your hand cut up instead of your feet?"

Shinji didn't have a reply to that, so he simply didn't say anything. Couldn't Asuka take a hint? He didn't want to talk about this right now.

"Shinji, what aren't you telling me?"

At her words, Shinji's head whipped up to stare at her. Asuka's gaze was fixed, unwavering as she stared back at him. She wasn't going to shrug this off, not now. Still, Shinji played dumb for the time being.

"I don't know what you mean," said Shinji as he started gathering up all of the small fragments of glass.

"Yes you do," retorted Asuka. "You know exactly what I mean. What I want to know is, why aren't you telling me? I thought we were supposed to trust each other?"

"How can that be, if I don't even trust myself?" snarled Shinji. Asuka hadn't expected this reaction from him, let alone the words he had just uttered. Shinji had told her everything about himself until now, so why was he withholding this thing. However important it was, or strange, or inhuman, Asuka could take it. She had seen some unreal things, and even been a part of them thanks to Nerv, so she could take whatever Shinji was hiding.

"Don't say that," mumbled Asuka. "You don't believe that."

"Don't I?" grimaced Shinji. "I know better than anybody who I am, and whether I can trust myself or not."

"Shinji-"

"Leave me alone Asuka!"

Shinji shouted this statement, his face turned away from Asuka. He couldn't deal with this, not right now. He wanted to be left alone, forgetting everything for a while; forgetting that he had this cursed power.

"You idiot!"

With a rush of air, Asuka swung her hand backwards, and then swung it forward, slapping Shinji across the face. Without another word to him, Asuka retreated from the kitchen, her entire body shaking with anger. He didn't even flinch when she had slapped him; what was wrong with him? Asuka didn't know, but she had had enough of Shinji's idiocy. Walking up the stairs, still fuming, she slammed the door closed and didn't come back down for the rest of the night.

After Asuka had hit him, Shinji had no visible reaction, and even now, minutes after Asuka's door had closed, Shinji was still in that kneeling position in front of the glass. Slowly, he began resuming the process of picking up the pieces. Right now, as long as he focused on something, and didn't think of what had just occurred, he could keep calm. He was angry, not only at Asuka, but at himself as well; more towards himself than her. He knew that Asuka was only trying to help, but he wished she would have left him alone. He made it clear he didn't want her interfering, but she still did.

Making sure that the floor was clear of glass fragments, Shinji walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He couldn't get comfortable though, and didn't honestly want to be here right now. Standing up, he walked to the front door, and not caring whether Asuka heard him or not, opened and closed the door without caring. It was obvious from their previous argument, that she knew he had been leaving somehow, but he just didn't care anymore.

Snow was piled on the front few steps, and as Shinji left, he kicked at it in frustration. Even though it was freezing out, the adrenaline that was coursing through Shinji kept him warm for the time being, and his hand was still coated in some of his blood. The snow still hadn't begun falling again, but the ground was thick with the white substance, and Shinji trudged through it as he made his way to the end of the street.

At the corner, he didn't stop like he usually did, and kept walking down the next block. At the end of the block, was a streetlight, and Shinji crossed underneath the lights that were weighed down by the snow piled upon them. The ground was white, but Shinji's footprints still stood clearly out in the otherwise unblemished white powder.

Shinji didn't know how long he continued walking like this for. He didn't expect Asuka to follow him, so he couldn't understand why he was walking so far away from their house. Maybe he just wanted to get as far away for the time being. Even though he couldn't say he enjoyed the notion of his AT-field, having those moments alone was something that he had missed. Him and Asuka had been together every moment for the passed two and a half months, and Shinji did occasionally need time to himself, just as Asuka did. Maybe that was why he was walking as far as he was; he had to cool off as well, since his anger was still a problem. He hadn't like shouting at Asuka, and hoped that she could forgive him.

Now walking down the middle of what once would have been a busy street, Shinji passed several cars parked on the side of the road, snow covering their rooftops. Though the snow was pretty, it gave an added weight to the emptiness of the city. It really was just like a ghost town.

Feeling more like himself now, Shinji stopped in the middle of the street, and let out a low sigh, clearly his mind of irrelevant things. Without a moments notice, he swung his arm downwards in front of him, projecting his AT-field outwards. He didn't damage the street, or the surrounding street lights, but simply projected his AT-field in front of him. The image he was trying was the simple wall, like a barrier. From what he had seen, this was the most basic form of the AT-field, but also the most complex for him. The sheer power of it was unbelievable, and the force was such that Shinji had difficulties not sliding backwards on the snow. Even now, he still wasn't able to conjure the proper image in his head. Was he simply weak? After five days of practice, he would have hoped to see some improvements. Was he not focused enough, or was his mind just focused elsewhere?

Letting his AT-field dissipate, he dropped his arm back at his side. Frustration surged through him at his lack of ability, and for the first time since learning about his AT-field, he felt like destroying something. How easy would it be to slice a telephone pole cleanly in half, or gouge out a large junk of the earth? Even if he was unable to control it, destroying something wouldn't be difficult.

'No. Calm down,' he told himself. 'Getting angry and wrecking havoc wouldn't help me.'

'Maybe if you destroyed a house or two, you might gain better control over your AT-field though. After all, the AT-fields of both the Angels and Evangelions were used to attack and kill.'

A voice in his head spoke this, but Shinji tried his best to shake it away. Attacking and killing, he had never had thoughts like that before, but was that the purpose of the AT-field then? It felt much more like a sense of protection to Shinji.

Feeling unsure of himself, Shinji decided to end his practice for the day. Still, he didn't feel much like heading back, and ended up walking around Tokyo-2 for several more hours, before the cold finally started to affect his body, and he decided to head back.

Turning onto his neighborhoods street, he walked down the several rows of houses until he reached his own. Looking up towards the window of the master bedroom, he didn't see any sign of candle light. Of course though, it was late in the night now, and Asuka must have gone to bed hours ago. Sighing rather heavily, he walked up the driveway, and ascended the front steps, before opening the front door.

The fire had long died out in the fireplace, and Shinji was tempted to relight it momentarily, but right now, he just wanted to crawl into his bed and pass out. Climbing the staircase, he paused briefly on the landing and looked out the window next to him. The snow was beginning to fall again it seemed; he hoped they wouldn't be buried in it. If it continued like this, they may not be able to leave the house for a while. Climbing the rest of the stairs, he paused as he reached the top, staring down the hallway where Asuka's door was. He was tempted to check on her, but maybe it was better to leave things till tomorrow. He didn't want to end up yelling at her again.

Resigning himself to sleep, he turned and opened his door, intent on falling asleep immediately upon impact with his bed. Laying down, he began throwing the covers over himself, but was met with some sort of resistance. Resistance? That didn't make any sense. Glancing towards his left, he finally spotted the small lump that he had initially missed. As dark as his room was, and the fact that his eyes were still adjusting to the lighting, it was understandable that he had missed this. Still, it was unmistakably Asuka, who was sleeping in his bed beside him.

Upon realizing this, Shinji's first thought was to dart out of the bed, but now he was afraid that if he made any sudden movements, that he would accidentally wake her up. In this situation, if that were to happen, Shinji couldn't imagine how furious Asuka would be. Why though, was she in his bed in the first place? That seemed to be the question. Did she mistakingly get into his, instead of her own? But she seemed clear minded enough when he had last seen her stomping upstairs, that this shouldn't be possible. Then, had she been waiting for him to return home?

Shinji stopped as he thought this. Asuka knew that he had been going out for the past few days, and he certainly didn't attempt to hide this fact today especially. But to be waiting in his room, and sleeping in his bed nonetheless; just how unreasonable could she be? He still hadn't forgotten about the event that had happened during their first night here together, when she had decided to sleep with him of her own freewill. This was on a different level entirely.

Either way, Shinji didn't feel like he had any choice in the matter, and began slowly moving off the bed. As he did this though, Asuka turned in her sleep, causing Shinji to freeze. She had been turned away from him, but now was facing him, her sleeping face clearly visible through the tangle of blankets. Shinji felt his heart rate speed-up upon seeing Asuka this vulnerable; this was a bad situation.

Forcing his mind to clear, he lifted one foot out of the bed, and then the other so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. One final push is all it would take for Shinji to be free from all this; God or some other force didn't seem to wish this however. As Shinji began standing up, he suddenly felt somebody grab ahold of his wrist. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Asuka was awake, her clear blue eyes staring back at him; her hand was holding onto his wrist, almost in a desperate fashion. Shinji didn't know what he could say.

Slowly, Asuka begin sitting up, still holding onto his wrist, but now she wasn't looking at him. Drawing her legs upwards towards her chest, she sat like that in the bed, with the blankets still wrapped around her.

"You came back I see," mumbled Asuka, almost inaudibly.

"I never intended on leaving," replied Shinji.

"I never said I thought you would."

Even though she said this, Shinji was still under the impression that Asuka had thought he was leaving her. Had she been that worried?

"What were you doing out there?" asked Asuka after several seconds of silence.

"Thinking," said Shinji. This was only partially true.

"Thinking?" replied Asuka, her voice low, "do you honestly expect me to believe that for the past five days, you've been going outside and thinking? You were gone for hours tonight, so don't give me that bullshit about thinking."

"What do you want me to say then?" asked Shinji. He was starting to get angry.

"I want you to be truthful damn it," retorted Asuka, her temper flaring up. "I want you to tell me whats been bothering you. You've told me so much already, and like you said before, not once have I ever treated you as a freak, or a monster. Whatever it is, you don't have to hide it from me Shinji."

"Maybe it's better that I don't tell you," Shinji rounded on her. "Maybe you're better off not even associating with me."

Asuka felt herself lose patience then, and struck Shinji for the second time today, slapping him across the face.

"Don't you dare tell me that after everything we've been through together!" Asuka said, her entire body shaking in anger. "We've been stuck together for more than two fucking months now, and while living like this isn't ideal, we're still alive. If we didn't help each other when the building fell, we could have died from lack of oxygen. If I didn't help you when you couldn't walk, you could have starved, or became seriously dehydrated. If not for you, I may not have even been alive right now!"

Asuka shouted this last sentence, her voice cracking under the emotional distress. Never had she felt like this before, that she could feel this strongly about something.

"So don't say that. Don't say that I may be better of not associating with you. I don't care what you are, or what changes may happen to you; I'm not leaving you Shinji."

Though still in shock from Asuka slapping him again, Shinji did react when he heard Asuka say this. Shinji had learned over the course of their relationship, that Asuka had trouble expressing herself; he was no different of course, so he recognized this in her as well. What she just said though, Shinji had never imagined that those words could come out of her mouth. Certainly, it was almost an assumed notion, that they were better off together, but to actually hear this from Asuka...

"Well, say something idiot!"

Asuka was still angry at him, but Shinji was having difficulties replying to her. What she said was astonishing, but the matter of his AT-field still loomed over him.

"Asuka, I-"

"What!? Spit it out already!"

"Can you calm down for a second?"

"Oh, like you did in the kitchen earlier?" Asuka retorted sarcastically.

"That was different," said Shinji, shaking his head. "I was more angry at myself then you."

"Why?"

Shinji didn't look at her, his mouth shut tightly.

"I swear I'm going to hit you again if you don't start explaining things," Asuka began.

"Don't you understand how difficult this is for me?" Shinji nearly shouted as he turned towards Asuka. "I've been going out there every night, trying to figure out who I fucking am, and worry that if I tell you, you'll reject me. I can't even...control it properly, even after these five days. I didn't even mean to break that glass, it just happened as I was washing it. My grip on it was too strong or-"

'Or I used me AT-field without realizing it,' Shinji finished in his mind. Ultimately, this is what was really bothering him. He didn't feel like he used it, and neither did the flash of orange happen, but Shinji couldn't entirely rule it out. If he had used it unconsciously, by accident, because he lacked control; what if something worse had happened? What if he had hurt Asuka somehow?

"Shinji, what are you talking about?" asked Asuka.

"Nothing, forget it," said Shinji, thoroughly finished with this conversation. Leaving the bed, he nearly reached the doorway, before he was stopped by Asuka again. She had jumped off the bed, leaving the warmth of the covers, and grabbed onto his wrist.

"Let go of me," said Shinji. "I'm done talking."

"Well I'm not!" shouted Asuka.

"Damn it Asuka, leave me alone!"

"No, you stupid bastard!"

Shinji had had enough. Grabbing Asuka's hand that was gripping his wrist, he tried shaking her off, but she refused to let go.

"Stop that Shinji!"

"Then let go of me!"

They battled like that, back and forth for half a minute, but Shinji was beginning to lose control over his anger. Tugging on his own arm that Asuka was still gripping, he finally pulled away from her, but succeeded in slamming backwards into the wall behind him. Slightly dazed, he looked up, just in time to see Asuka approaching him. He thought that she was going to hit him again, but what she did instead shocked him. Standing over him, Asuka crouched down so low that she was almost sitting in his lap, and placed her face directly in front of his. Their noses were now touching, and their eyes were directly level with each other. Shinji could feel Asuka's ragged breath blowing onto his face, clearly tired from their fight. What was she going to-

"Why can't you just trust me idiot!"

Shinji opened his eyes wide as she made this statement; Asuka was smiling in a sad manner. Her lip seemed to be trembling slightly, and her clear eyes were starting to glisten with tears. In the more than two months that Shinji had known her, not once had he seen Asuka cry. A part of him thought that she was incapable of crying, or that she was just never sad over anything. To be crying over this, and for his sake.

"Why wont you just listen damn it!" shouted Asuka, her fist pounding against his chest. Shinji hardly felt this, his gaze fixated on Asuka's face, the tears slowing rolling down her cheeks; he had made her cry.

Was he this insecure with himself, that he couldn't trust her? Time and time again, Asuka had demonstrated that she could be trusted, but Shinji was still afraid of that rejection. His father had abandoned him as a child, he never had any friends, and was fundamentally unable to socially interact with people. He didn't want what he had with Asuka to suddenly disappear. The notion of his AT-field was too strong in his own mind, that he couldn't trust Asuka to not reject him, because he had rejected himself at the outset. This was his problem. But seeing Asuka crying in front him, someone who he had never seen cry before, and was now crying for his sake: Shinji felt like the lowest piece of shit ever.

Asuka's fist pounded against his chest again, and this awoke him from this brief reprieve. He was aware of the girl crying in front of him.

"Why? Why am I crying over your stupid self. Why do I have to cry because you're an idiot! I hate this!" Asuka shouted as she glared back at Shinji, her tears still streaming down her face. She didn't even understand why she was crying. It didn't make any sense to her.

"...Asuka..." mumbled Shinji.

She hit him again.

"Asuka."

She struck him twice more.

"Asu-"

"What you stupid idio-"

Asuka was cut off, as Shinji wrapped his arms around her back, and pulled her closer to him. Her chin was now resting on his shoulder, and even her tears seemed to pause after Shinji had done this. Asuka blinked several times, confused about this sudden warmth shared between them.

"Shinji wha-" but Asuka stopped as she heard Shinji say two words.

"I'm sorry."

Thinking that she misheard, Asuka opened her mouth to say something, but Shinji beat her to it.

"I'm sorry Asuka, I'm really sorry. I was being stupid."

Asuka would have dearly liked to say, 'You're damn right you were,' but she held her voice back. Right now, assigning blame wasn't the right thing to do. Right now, she was just glad they had come to reason. Though she didn't hear anything else from Shinji, she did feel a certain moistness fall onto her shoulder; it seemed Shinji was crying as well.

They sat like that for several seconds, in each others arms, until Asuka broke off the contact, a small blush on her face. Shinji's back was still against the door, but he wasn't looking at Asuka, he was looking up at the ceiling.

"Shinji-"

"I'll tell you tomorrow," stated Shinji.

"Huh?"

"I'll explain everything to you tomorrow," elaborated Shinji.

"Why tomorrow?" asked Asuka. You couldn't blame her for being skeptical after everything that had transpired today.

"Because explaining it doesn't cut it; I have to show you as well, otherwise there isn't any meaning."

Asuka decided to believe him. The tone in Shinji's voice was different than earlier. He was more sure of himself now.

"Okay," nodded Asuka.

Standing up, she reached out her hand and pulled Shinji up. They stood like that for several more seconds, staring back at each other until Asuka said, "I'm going to bed," and returned to her own room. Shinji watched her go, until her figured disappeared behind her closed door. Returning to his own bed, he found it much harder to fall asleep, even though he felt tired. He couldn't say things had been patched up with Asuka, but he was no longer worried about showing his AT-field to her.

'Whatever happens tomorrow, happens I suppose,' thought Shinji.

Rolling into the spot where Asuka had been sleeping, Shinji noticed that her warmth was still there, and laid there for several seconds before rolling back to the other side. It was almost like her presence could still be felt, sleeping beside him.

* * *

><p>The next day dawned, Friday, and Shinji and Asuka's attitude towards each other was mild. Neither had forgotten the row the night before, and neither did they forget what was transpiring that night. Shinji told Asuka that morning after breakfast, then after the sun set, he would show her what he had been doing.<p>

With this in mind, they passed the day absorbed in their own thoughts, each doing their own thing, until dinner arrived. Having enough pasta to make spaghetti again, Shinji did just that, not in the mood to come up with something else. They ate dinner in silence and alone, Shinji in the dining room, and Asuka on the couch. Even though they were only one room away, it felt much further. After Shinji washed the dishes, he walked upstairs to Asuka's room. She had retreated up there after dinner, and Shinji knocked on her door before entering.

"Ready?" asked Shinji as he entered her room. He had only been in here a handful of times, but nothing drastic had changed.

"Yeah," nodded Asuka, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, dressed down in full winter gear. She had been waiting for him afterall.

They walked downstairs, Shinji leading, and paused at the front door for Shinji to put on a jacket. Opening the front door, they were greeted by a flurry of snow. It had continued snowing since last night, and they were close to a foot of snow now. Trudging down the front steps, being careful not to slip, Shinji led Asuka out into the middle of the street, and began walking towards the end of the block, where he usually practiced.

"What are you expecting?" asked Shinji, even surprising himself that he would ask that.

"I've no idea," answered Asuka truthfully. Because she honestly didn't know, she was beginning to grow worried. What was it that had bothered Shinji so much? Was it truly that dreadful?

Reaching the end of the street, they both paused, now side by side. Down the street to the right, was the street light that Shinji had passed under last night, and on the opposite side, was more side streets with neighborhoods.

Shivering slightly, Asuka looked over at Shinji but was surprised that he was looking back at her.

"What?" asked Asuka.

"No...nothing, "said Shinji as he shook his head. Next, he took a deep breath and said, "Wait right here, and don't approach me under any circumstances. I don't know...what'll happen to another human if they approach me too closely."

"Shinji, what do you-"

"Asuka, I need you to promise me. I don't want anything to happen to you because...because I can't fully control it."

Seeing how adamant he was, and the look in his eyes which was set, Asuka nodded her head.

"I promise."

Giving her a small smile, Shinji began walking into the middle of the street; it felt like the farthest he had ever walked. Reaching the middle, he removed his hands which were inside his jacket pocket, and let them hang at his side. Looking over his shoulder, he spoke briefly to Asuka.

"What I'm about to do, is probably something you've already seen before at Nerv."

"At Nerv? Why would I have seen it there?" asked Asuka, completely puzzled. What was Shinji doing?

He didn't reply however, but instead seem to compose himself, almost like he was thinking deeply about something. Without giving any notification, Shinji swung his arm violently upward, and a flash of orange erupted above him. It was impossible to mistake it for anything else, because Asuka had seen it many times before now. Evangelion Unit 02, her Evangelion unit, how many times did she practice this at Gehern. She instinctively knew this phenomenon, which most people would have cowered before.

"An AT-field," whispered Asuka.

Shinji had materialized his AT-field, projecting it above him and molding it into the basic wall that was standard for the Evangelions, and the Angels. He didn't know this, but it was well known to Asuka, and many who she had worked with. An AT-field, an absolute defense barrier; she couldn't believe she was witness this directly in front of her, from a human, and Shinji no less. But looking at Shinji, she realized that something was wrong.

The sheer amount of energy the AT-field was putting off was driving Shinji backwards, making his feet slide across the snow. The powdery snow around him began to billow, being tossed in the air by the force of the AT-field. Shinji didn't look like he could hold it much longer, and next second, he was forced to dissipate the AT-field, before falling to one knee. The minute this happened, Asuka ran towards him.

"Shinji!"

He turned towards her, and she paused in her tracks.

"Can you consider me anything but a freak after seeing that?"

"I wasn't going to say anything like that," said Asuka as she stared back at him.

Laughing bitterly, and very unlike himself, Shinji said, "How can you not think I'm a freak. I'm a human that has an AT-field."

"Don't call yourself a freak, and how did you know that was an AT-field?"

"You told me about them back in Tokyo-3 when you were telling me everything about Nerv, the Evangelions, and the Angels."

"Yes, but I don't remember telling you what an AT-field looked like. How did you know it was that though?"

Shinji looked back at her before resigning himself to the entire story. He told her about the dream he had almost a week ago now, and how his other self had demonstrated the AT-field, explaining how they were both the same person, with the same abilities. Shinji left out the red eyes however.

"And all this happened in a dream?" asked Asuka.

"At the time, I thought it was utter nonsense, but I realized that what my other self said was true. Ever since the buildings collapse, and when my leg was regenerating, I've been getting these...feelings, that I couldn't explain. I now know that it was my AT-field I was feeling the whole time, but that I just didn't have a strong grasp on it like I do now."

"And you kept these feelings from me, all the way until now?" mumbled Asuka.

"I didn't think it was important at the time," replied Shinji. "Looks like I was wrong."

"I wish you would have told me this sooner, instead of waiting until now," said Asuka as she crossed her arms.

"I take it, you aren't afraid of me then?" asked Shinji.

"How can you ask that, knowing who I am?" Asuka almost laughed. Shinji hadn't expected this response.

"Not once have I treated you differently because of who you are. Don't forget Shinji, that I was an Evangelion pilot before all this, and that I used an AT-field myself. Granted, it was my Evangelions, but I still controlled it. I practiced with my Unit 02 until I was the best pilot possible. If it was anybody else that was here, instead of me, they probably wouldn't know what to do. Yes you're different, and yes it is strange that you have an AT-field when you are in fact human, but that doesn't change who you are. So no, I'm not afraid of you, and that won't ever happen."

"Answer me this then Asuka," said Shinji, "why do I have this AT-field in the first place. Did Nerv do some terrible experiment on my body, and I'm like this now because of that...or am I in fact an Angel?"

Asuka wouldn't have expected this question from Shinji, and didn't have an answer for him. But what she had seen earlier...

"An Angel? How could you possibly be an Angel? You're human. You tire, you eat, you sleep. I don't think an Angel does any of those things," she scoffed.

"You don't know that," replied Shinji.

"No, I don't," shrugged Asuka, "but if you were, what then?"

Shinji didn't know, and didn't have an answer to that either. If he really was an Angel, what would happen? As somebody who used to pilot the Evangelions, would it be Asuka's duty to kill him?

"Can we go back? I can't feel my hands anymore," complained Asuka.

"Thats it then?" mumbled Shinji. "What about my lack of control?"

"You'll sort it out eventually I'm sure. Thats what you've been doing this whole time isn't it, practicing?"

"I didn't want to show it to you without understanding it myself."

"You worry too much," groaned Asuka.

"Can you blame me?"

"Yes, I can," smirked Asuka as she turned away from him, and began walking back towards their house. Shinji watched her retreating back, wondering how she could be so nonchalant about this. He was glad that she was understanding like this however.

As Shinji left the street, and began hurrying after her, Asuka was already halfway to their house. She was thinking about what she had just witnessed. It had been a great shock to her, and she would be lying if she didn't acknowledge her worry about this. She trusted Shinji, and knew that he could make it through this, and she would be supporting him as he did, but still-

She couldn't shake this feeling of worry, but maybe some of that was attributed to when Shinji had looked at her initially. Even now, his blood red eyes that had stared back at her then, unnerved her even now. The AT-field was one thing, but why were his eyes red? Shortly afterwards of course, they had returned to the normal brown, but she still thought about that image. Was it his AT-field which had changed them briefly? There didn't seem to be any other reason.

"Asuka."

"Hmm?" asked Asuka as she turned towards Shinji who had finally caught up.

"Thank you for, well-"

"You don't have to thank me Shinji," said Asuka as she cut him off. "Besides, I've had enough surprises for one day. I just want to return home and warm up by the fire now."

"If you say so," said Shinji, grinning briefly.

They returned home, and spent the remaining hours sitting in front of the fireplace. They talked about many things, but never touched on the subject of Shinji's AT-field; both seemed to silently agree that that was best left for another time. Eventually, Asuka grew tired, and bade Shinji goodnight before going upstairs to her bedroom, falling asleep almost immediately. Shinji spent longer downstairs, but felt the call of his bed at one point, and left the living room, letting the fire die down in the night.

He had finally overcome that hurtle, and for better, or for worse, he had told Asuka. Whichever one, only time would tell.


	16. Uncertainty

**Well, I'm three for three so far on getting these out, and I can tell you that they're wearing me down a bit. Still, lets continue this pace until the end of the month. Also, I'm gonna be release a chapter on the 24th, and then again on the following day. I may decide to release one on new years as well, but it depends on tired I am by the time I finish these last two chapters.**

* * *

><p>Several days had passed since Shinji had shown Asuka his AT-field, and now it was the following Wednesday, five days since that time. Shinji continued practicing every night, and was occasionally watched by Asuka. While Shinji didn't say this, he was grateful that she was keeping him company out in the cold like this. She didn't have to, and nor was she obligated, and would probably have preferred staying inside where it was warm, but she still stayed with him.<p>

Throughout this, improving his control over his AT-field was no easy matter. However he was before, when he had full grasp over it, his self now couldn't imagine what he had gone through to get to the point of controlling something this powerful. Was some sort of trauma the key, like a strong emotional reaction? Shinji was aware that he seemed to get angry without even realizing it, and constantly had to keep his anger in check. He was sure that Asuka had realized this as well, but she didn't say anything. She just silently watched him from afar, or waited until he returned home.

With only ten more days to go until Christmas, Shinji was starting to become more aware of his surroundings. During the days when Asuka didn't watch him practice, Shinji would take it upon himself to walk a few miles after he was done. He enjoyed these walks, as it reminded him of his brief time in Tokyo-3 before all this happened, but it was more than that. During these walks, he made it a point to check the houses that he passed. He knew that Christmas was approaching quickly, and that he hadn't found anything for Asuka yet. He checked several houses before he went home, but could never find anything which he thought she may like. Shinji wondered how Asuka's search was going, since he had seen her leaving the houses sometimes during the day, but never quite saying where she was going. He suspected she was having similar difficulties, just as he was.

Shinji awoke earlier that morning than he had in the past few days. Because he had been practicing every night to the point of exhaustion, he had recently been sleeping in. Last night was no different of course, but as for this morning, he just wanted to spend some time walking around. So, after eating his own breakfast, and leaving a note for Asuka, letting her know that he had gone out, he stepped through the front door, and out into the white snow.

It had continually snowed, on and off the past few days, and twice now, Shinji had to shovel snow out of the way, just so he could get through the front door. Thankfully, it didn't seem to snow much last night, so Shinji was saved the trouble of this. Walking down the driveway, he paused at the end, and looked up towards the sky. It was a miraculous blue, and he had nearly forgotten what that looked like. It was still cold out, but for today at least, they didn't have to worry about new snow.

Beginning on his way, he treaded the familiar path he took every night when he practiced with his AT-field. Reaching the end of the block, he turned left, crossing the street and continued down the road. This was only his third time searching for some sort of present for Asuka, but even now, he had to walk down several blocks before he reached those houses he hadn't searched yet.

Shinji would be lying if didn't admit that he was frustrated about this; practicing with his AT-field was easy enough, even if he didn't see much progress. Finding a present for Asuka now seemed an even more daunting task. When it got right down to it, Shinji didn't know what Asuka liked. Throughout their travels together, he couldn't remember one specific time where she mentioned something that she liked, or wanted. Asuka could be selfish at times, but she wasn't unreasonable, and understood that what they needed, was entirely different compared to what they wanted. Shinji wished that Asuka would have expressed her wants more often though, at least then he'd have some inkling as to what she might like.

The other two times he had done this, he had been through so many houses, that they all blended together. Though it had been dark at the time, Shinji's eyes didn't seem to have much problems adjusting to the dim lighting, and he attributed this to his AT-field, or whatever property made up who he was. He didn't feel awkward anymore when he went through the drawers of the deceased, and sometimes even eagerly did this. Jewelry was the thing he found the most, but he had a hard time imagining Asuka wearing even a necklace in this After Impact world. With jewelry out of the question, his mind turned to other things, each seeming more pointless than the last. Today, he hoped that things would be different however.

Passing the fourth block from his own, he turned onto the next, his eyes focused on the first house at the corner. It was a single story, with an adjacent garage and driveway. Walking up the driveway, he reached the front door, and kicked at it without a second thought. His foot connected with the doorknob, and the door was immediately forced open, bouncing off the wall until Shinji caught it. In the past, it normally took him several attempts to break into a house, but his physical strength wasn't what it used to be. The breaking of the glass was an early sign of this, but Shinji had become aware of it now.

Stepping through the broken door, Shinji's feet connected with a hardwood floor. On the wall to his right, was an electric fireplace, and opposite of that, was a single couch, tables on either side. Ignoring this living room, Shinji walking further into the house, passing through the kitchen and found a door that led down into a basement. Passing over this for now, he returned to the living room, and walked down a nearby hallway, entering the master bedroom.

A middle aged woman lived her, by herself apparently...or was that right? Glancing at the dresser across from the bed, several photos of the woman with another man were visible. As Shinji began to go through the dresser, he immediately noticed a distinct lack of male clothes. Was the woman dating the guy, or had he died, and she was now a widow? Shinji puzzled over this for several seconds, before realizing it didn't matter. As sad as it was to say, this persons life was irrelevant to him. She could have been the mistress to the governor of Tokyo-2, and it still wouldn't have mattered to him.

After going through the entire bedroom, turning it upside down, Shinji decided that there was nothing here for him. As he was about to leave though, he figured he may as well check the basement. If he left now, when there could be something down there; it was the prospect of something being there which drove Shinji downstairs.

It was significantly darker down here, devoid of any sunlight, and it took Shinji's eyes half a minute to adjust before he was able to see properly. A long hallway stretched out before him, with several doors on either side. To his right, was an opening that had both a washing machine, and a dryer, but nothing else in the room served much purpose. At the far end of the hallway, was a door, but Shinji chose to enter the opening to his left instead.

It was a study of sorts, with a large bookcase covering an entire wall, and stuffed full of many books. Shinji glanced at this for a full minute, before turning his gaze towards the desk in the center of the room. A computer, rather old looking from its design, rested upon the desk, several papers strewn on either side of it. Picking one up at random, Shinji glanced at the diagram on the paper. It was a simple floor plan of what seemed to be a room, but judging by the diagram, it wasn't any room in this house. Looking at another, Shinji read several lines that were clearly typed on the computer. Whoever the woman was, she appeared to be a contractor of sorts.

He examined some of the other papers out of sheer curiosity, and then left this room, returning to the hallway. The last door at the end of the hallway was all Shinji had left to search, and he didn't have much hope. Still, it was best to check just in case. Reaching out for the door, he noticed that it was already opened, and instead, pushed his hands against it. The door swung open easily, revealing the contents inside, for which Shinji was not prepared for.

From looking at the rest of the house, there was nothing to suggest that a child once lived here, but Shinji had very clearly stepped into a child's bedroom. A single bed rested in a corner of the far wall, and toys were strewn along the floor. A small desk and chair were against the wall to the left of Shinji, and at a quick glance, several childish drawings could be seen spaced around the table, each in a different colored crayon. Taking everything in, Shinji was able to gather that a boy called this his room once, judging by the vast amount of action figures that cluttered the room. Shinji didn't know why, but this room gave him a certain sense of foreboding; he felt like he shouldn't be here.

Taking several steps back, his gaze locked onto an object resting on the far shelf as he began to leave. It was a wooden clock, apparently very old, judging from the wood which seemed to have lost some of its sheen over the years. As though drawn to it somehow, Shinji found himself approaching it without a second thought, walking further into the room. Whatever sense he had gotten before, grew stronger now, as he approached the clock. When he began reaching out for it though, he suddenly stopped. Had he heard something, or was that just his imagination playing tricks on him.

Swiveling around, he looked down the hallway, straining his ears for any sound of movement. It certainly wasn't Asuka, but could an animal be living in here that he didn't know of? Before Shinji could think anything else, he was struck by a sudden wave of nausea, as something flashed before his eyes. A great amount of sadness filled him, along with...depression, was that it? Something else as well, but...no, Shinji couldn't grasp it. Something about this room however, and sadness; was it the woman's sadness, or the boys. What was there relation to each other? This room didn't hold any clues to that question.

As the nausea passed, Shinji waited until his heart rate settled down. This was the first time he had encountered something like this, but it was similar to that of when he had felt Misato's final moments. Emotions dictated these, visions if you could call them that, but they were more like echoes of peoples lives, places where heavy emotional impacts on a persons lives had taken place. When he had witnessed Asuka's death, that had a much more real feel, but that was a true vision, compared to these echoes.

Shinji was frustrated that he hadn't improved his control over his AT-field, but could this be considered an improvement of sorts? During the nights when Shinji practiced, occasionally, when he was concentrating really hard, he sometimes felt a presence behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he only ever saw Asuka, who usually gave him a small smile in return; but it was more than that. Shinji couldn't explain it, but it seemed to him, that the presence he was feeling was Asuka herself, her AT-field, so to speak. Though significantly smaller than his own, it appeared that Asuka had one as well. So did that mean every human had an AT-field? Was the AT-field the embodiment of a person themselves?

Now that his heart rate had settled down, Shinji fully backed out of the child's bedroom. He didn't know what significance that clock held for either the boy or woman, but he didn't want to know. Sadness and depression could swing several different ways, and Shinji wasn't keen on finding out which.

Walking up the basement stairs, he passed through the kitchen and living room, before stepping out under the blue sky. Turning around, he looked back at the one story house. Was something like what witnessed usual for most humans? Would he find similar instances of emotional regrets if he continued searching the houses? Shinji didn't like that idea, and the thought of discovering something incredibly sinister crossed his mind briefly. With that thought in mind, he didn't feel like continuing his search, and decided to return home for now. Asuka was sure to be waiting afterall.

* * *

><p>Opening the door to his own house, Shinji began hanging up his jacket in the closet beside the door, when he heard a voice coming from the opening to the dining room.<p>

"How was your walk?"

"Fine, I suppose," shrugged Shinji as he glanced over at Asuka. She had just finished breakfast, and had been in the process of cleaning up when Shinji walked in from the cold. Leaning against the wall, she crossed her arms, and asked, "Did something happen out there?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Your tone of voice seems odd I suppose."

"So you noticed," replied Shinji with a small laugh.

Ever since Shinji had told Asuka about his AT-field, she had made him promise to tell her anything unusual that happened to him. Even if he didn't, she was smart enough to notice anything that might be different about his attitude in any given moment. This was natural when she had been living with him for so long.

"You don't sound that happy about it," said Asuka as she walked towards him.

"I couldn't call it happy," sighed Shinji.

Standing in front of him, Asuka crossed her arms and waited for him to reply. Without having much choice, Shinji recounted to Asuka what he had seen, or rather felt, in that child's room. By the time he was done, they had already migrated to the couch, and were now sitting beside each other.

"So you didn't see anything at all?" asked Asuka.

"No, nothing. It was mostly sadness, and a sense of depression that I got. There was something else, but I couldn't grasp it. I'm honestly not sure if I wanted to."

"So you think something...bad, might have happened in that room?"

"No, not bad. Something very sad however. I think the woman was a widow, so that may have had something to do with it. But the child's room...there wasn't any photos of the boy, unlike the man. I don't know what that meant, but I don't think its pleasant."

"You think the woman lost both her husband, and child?"

"Its just a thought," said Shinji.

They both lapsed into silence after this, but Asuka changed the conversation away from this depressing topic.

"You said that this reminded you of what you saw with Misato. How?"

Shinji frowned at her, unsure how he should explain this.

"As far as I can tell, both instances were drawn from deep emotional impacts or regrets the person in question had. In Misato's case, I have no memory of her, even though I probably lived with her at one point. I got flashes of things, but nothing I could understand. I knew her, and yet I didn't at the same time. The feelings I got were mixed, but there definitely seemed to be regret mixed in, as well as relief of some kind. As for this latest circumstance, I knew absolutely nothing about this family before entering their house. I don't know what their relationship with each other was, or if they were even really a family. All I got was a strong surge of emotions, without any images to back anything up. The clock held some significance, but I don't know what it meant."

"You're glossing over something else," mumbled Asuka.

"What do you mean?"

"What about myself...when you saw me die? What about that?"

"That...that was different," started Shinji. He was never keen on this subject, but he could explain this now from what he understood.

"The vision I had of you Asuka, wasn't just an emotional outburst, or flashes of images: it was a sequence of events that appeared before me. The difference between yours, and the others...well, it sounds dumb for me to say it, but its probably because I've been around you for so long, that I've sorta become attuned to you."

"...Huh?" stammered Asuka, blushing slightly. "Attuned, wh-what do you mean by that?"

"Err, well, I've noticed it before, when you watch me while I practice with my AT-field, but I think all humans have an AT-field."

"What? Are you kidding?" scoffed Asuka.

"No, I'm serious. Its hard to describe, but if I concentrate, I can feel your presence, your AT-field."

"So every human being has an AT-field?" Asuka couldn't believe this; she felt like laughing.

"I think the AT-field is the defining force behind humans; it makes us who we are. Both those visions I got of Misato and that woman, were because I was either in direct contact, or within an area they felt strongly about. Residuals of their AT-fields I guess you could call it."

"What about mine then? You weren't near me, in contact with me, nor in an area where I have strong emotional ties. So why did you see something which hadn't even happened yet."

"Like I said, because I'm attuned to you, used to you, I saw that vision. I think that, I've unconsciously become aware of your AT-field, which I thought of as your presence at the time."

Asuka didn't know why, but after Shinji made this statement, she had to turn away from him. 'Jeez, why did he have to say something stupid like that,' she thought.

"So you've been unconsciously thinking about me, which is what you're getting at?" asked Asuka with her back still turned towards him.

"I suppose thats true, if you look at it from a certain perspective," frowned Shinji. Was Asuka going to get angry at him?

"...So all humans have an AT-field huh..." muttered Asuka. "Does that mean we can all learn to use them like you then?"

"I don't think so," said Shinji as he shook his head. "Since the AT-field is the essence of who we are, people aren't conscious of the AT-field. You can't be aware of something if you can't feel it in someway. No, I'm unique in that aspect, but I still don't know why."

As he said this, Asuka briefly thought about Shinji's eyes flashing scarlet. She still hadn't told him, but she had convinced herself that it was unimportant.

"Is that it then?" asked Asuka.

"Yeah."

"Good, because I want to go outside now."

"What, why?"

"Because its a clear day obviously," answered Asuka. "Who knows how long it'll be before we get another one like this."

"I just came back inside though."

"Thats your fault for leaving so early," smirked Asuka as she left the couch, and went upstairs to change into something warmer.

With the day as clear as it was, Shinji and Asuka found themselves spending most of the day outside. They were still only fifteen years old, so a pile of snow was still appealing to them. Multiple times, Asuka couldn't help but stuff snow down the back of Shinji's shirt. Afterwards, he retaliated by pelting her in the face with a snow ball, turning her cheeks red from the cold. During the last of these, they started an all war against each other, throwing snow balls at each other. Asuka was merciless in her assault, and had much greater aim than Shinji, striking him each an every time she threw a snow ball. Shinji was less fortunate in his assault, being hit more often then striking a hit on Asuka.

As the day waned onward, and their hands started to freeze even though they had gloves, they decided to call it quits, and head inside. While Asuka went upstairs to change out of her wet clothes, Shinji began making tea downstairs. He had only taken his jacket and gloves off, the rest of his body remaining quite warm. When Asuka returned downstairs, he brought two cups of tea into the living room, and they sat down beside each other. Clasping the cup between her hands, Asuka let out a sigh as her hands began to warm up.

"You really can't handle the cold very well, which is shocking, considering you're from Germany," remarked Shinji.

"I've noticed you can however," smirked Asuka. Removing her hand from her cup, she brushed it against Shinji's cheek, making him jump from the sudden change in temperature.

"Don't do that," groaned Shinji.

Asuka didn't reply, but sipped her tea instead. It was still daylight out, but that would be fading within the hour. Deciding that he may as well begin preparing dinner now, Shinji stood up to do so.

"Hang on, I'll help," said Asuka.

"You sure you won't freeze if you move away from the fireplace?" asked Shinji. Asuka's scowl was all the answer he needed.

He was always glad when Asuka helped, as it cut down on the more tedious time spent waiting for the water to boil. At least he had someone to talk to while he waited, and she usually helped him prepare the meal, but sometimes she did just stand back and watch.

After dinner was finished, they returned to the living room, and ate there. They had recently been using the dining room more often, but both agreed that being in front of the fireplace would be more enjoyable right now.

"Hey Shinji, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?" replied Shinji to Asuka's question.

"Well, its just that, in all the practice with your AT-field, you haven't tried to destroy anything with it."

"No, I haven't," Shinji admittedly said. "I don't want to use my AT-field for destruction if I can help it. I'm sure it'll happen eventually, but I want to be able to control it properly beforehand. Why did you ask?"

"Just curious I guess," shrugged Asuka as she returned to her soup. Shinji raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply.

After dinner, they washed everything away, and then Shinji prepared to go outside for the third time today, to practice with his AT-field.

"You coming?" asked Shinji towards Asuka.

Pausing briefly, Asuka instead asked, "Do you want me to come?"

Shinji wasn't going to tell her no, but if she didn't come, he'd have another opportunity to find something for her. Either way, it didn't bother him that much whether she decided to or not.

"I'll leave that up to you."

"How cryptic," muttered Asuka, "but, whatever, I guess I will. I didn't come last night afterall."

With that out of the way, Asuka went upstairs to put on another sweatshirt, and met Shinji by the front door. Exiting into the night, the moon was beaming down on them, and the stars were twinkling in the sky above them. Neither of them had seen the stars in a while, and they both stood silently beside each other, gazing upwards for several seconds.

"Lets get this over with," said Shinji, tearing his eyes away from the sky.

"You don't sound very excited," said Asuka.

"Try putting yourself in my shoes," sighed Shinji. "I'm trying to control something I hardly even understand, not to mention that I have you to worry about as well."

"Whats that supposed to be mean?" asked Asuka, her tone growing cold. "Do you not appreciate me being here?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that. Only that if something were to happen to you by accident, because I couldn't control my AT-field, I don't know what I would do."

"Would you stop saying stuff like that. Like I've said before, I trust you," grumbled Asuka, more out of embarrassment over Shinji saying something like that.

"Still..." mumbled Shinji, before he trailed off. They had reached the end of the block.

Almost as a ritual, both of them got in their preassigned positions, with Shinji standing in the middle of the road, and Asuka remaining on the sidewalk. Again, Shinji took several moments to compose himself, before he projected his AT-field. He didn't try the wall, like he had done previously. His control over that was the shakiest, and he was only able to maintain it for twenty seconds before it exhausted him. Instead, he had been recently focusing on the simple blade like AT-field that was used for cutting. In theory, if he practiced enough with this one, then his ability to control the wall would improve. He still hadn't been able to condense the blade down to a smaller size, and the blade itself could still very easily carve a wide hole straight down the middle of the street.

After practicing for almost twenty minutes, Shinji dissipated his AT-field, letting his arm fall back at his side. Almost immediately, he felt a cold hand grab onto his. After Asuka had been watching him for these past few days, her hands were usually freezing, so she used Shinji's to warm hers up.

"Do you have to do this every time?"

"Quiet," retorted Asuka, her cheeks pink from the cold.

Shinji frowned, but let her do as she pleased, until she was satisfied, and stuck her hands back into her sweatshirt pockets.

"You done?" asked Shinji, but Asuka didn't reply, since she had already started walking back.

After this, they spend the remaining hours of the day in the living room, before both decided to go to sleep. As Shinji entered his room, and closed the door, he couldn't help but feeling a certain pang in his heart, knowing that there was almost a week until Christmas arrived.

* * *

><p>Again, Shinji found himself in a similar situation. It was early morning the next day, and he was already continuing his search for something that he thought may be worthy of a present for Asuka. So far, no luck however. He had continued his search from where he left off yesterday, still remembering the house from yesterday, but trying not to pay it too much attention. No matter where he looked though, he always found the same things; jewelry and clothes were in abundant quantity, but neither of these felt like much of a Christmas present. What was unique, something that was one of a kind, that Shinji could give to Asuka? Did something like that even exist in the first place?<p>

Shinji entered the fourth house today, kicking the door open with hardly a second thought. He applied to much pressure however, and the doorknob was forced through the wooden panel of the door, the wood splintering where the knob had once been. Shinji rebuked himself for this, knowing that he could control his strength better than this. He was beginning to get frustrated however. Was he just being picky in his decision? He really did want to get something for Asuka that was special, not because she asked him, but because he wanted to.

Stepping through the threshold of the door, Shinji glanced around briefly at his surroundings. It was similar to the previous houses he had entered, and Shinji found himself immediately heading for the staircase that would take him to the second floor. The master bedroom wasn't unusual, having a large, kingsized bed in the middle of the room, a dresser against the wall beside this, with a mirror hanging above the dresser. Shinji went through all the drawers in this room, finding nothing of interest.

Sighing heavily, Shinji began walking downstairs, but paused when he heard a loud creak, coming from the living room. Pausing in his steps, he was incredibly glad that he was standing on carpet, and listened. An animal came to mind first, but he didn't think an animal's footfalls would be this heavy. In that case, there seemed to be only one explanation, even if it was rather strange. Thinking about it however, it wasn't to far of a stretch to suggest that their paths may cross at some point.

"Is that you Asuka?" asked Shinji from halfway up the staircase.

A girlish shriek, accompanied by an almighty crash, gave all the reasons for Shinji to know it was Asuka. Running the rest of the way downstairs, he rounded the corner, and saw Asuka kneeling by the front door. The shattered remains of a glass vase was at her feet, and she seemed to be partially stunned from this sudden encounter with Shinji.

"I didn't know you could scream like that," remarked Shinji. At his voice, Asuka's face darted up to look at him, and her face grew red with anger.

"Damn it, you startled me you idiot."

"You're the one that was skulking around downstairs."

"Shut it you-Ow!"

Asuka yelled rather loudly, as she stepped on a sharp fragment of glass. It buried its way into the sole of her shoes, stabbing into the skin of her foot. Noticing this, Shinji immediately rushed at her.

"Ow! Damn it, this is your fault Shinji!"

"How is this my fault? Come on, lets move outside and get away from this glass."

Still wincing in pain, Asuka hobbled outside while leaning against Shinji, and sat on the edge of one of the front steps. Crouching beside her, Shinji carefully removed her shoes, revealing the sock underneath. The cotton had turned red around her heel, and was still oozing blood.

"I'm gonna remove the glass," said Shinji.

"Just get it over with already," shouted Asuka.

Thankfully, the glass wasn't too large, and hadn't buried it's way very far into Asuka's foot. If she hadn't had been wearing shoes, it would have been a different story, but Shinji didn't have any difficulties removing it. Throwing the glass back through the open front door, it landed beside the rest of the broken glass. Turning back to Asuka's injured foot, he had to decide what to do. Asuka could probably limp home while leaning against him, but the quickest way would be to certainly...

Making his decision, Shinji knelt down in front of Asuka, indicating that he wanted her to wrap her arms around his neck. If not for her bleeding foot, Asuka would have probably refused, but even she could understand the logic behind this. Without saying any snide comments, she wrapped her arms around him, clinging onto him, as he hoisted her in the air. Either Asuka was incredibly light, or Shinji's strength was greater than he realized, because it felt no different than carrying a small child.

"You okay?" asked Shinji.

Asuka nodded briefly, rubbing her head against Shinji's back. Smiling slightly, Shinji began walking. They were only four blocks away from their own house, so the journey wouldn't take long. Still, an awkward silence developed between them as Shinji carried Asuka. She was incredibly still as Shinji carried her, not moving a muscle, but tightly clinging onto him. Shinji didn't want this silence to persist however, and decided to ask her something.

"Hey Asuka...what were doing out here anyway?"

She didn't immediately reply, and Shinji at first thought that she didn't want to, until she mumbled, "Probably the same thing you were doing..."

'Well, I expected this sort of answer I suppose,' thought Shinji.

"That particular house then, why did you choose that one?"

"...I saw that the door was already open, and when I went to investigate, I saw that the handle had been broken."

"Ah, yeah, that was me."

"I know now," muttered Asuka.

"Sorry, that was an accident," replied Shinji.

"Hmm," sighed Asuka.

They didn't talk again until they returned home. Shinji laid Asuka down on the couch, and went into the bathroom to find some disinfectant. Returning, he removed the bloody sock that was still on Asuka's foot, and began to clean the blood away. She didn't complain, but her forehead was sweating slightly. The wound was small in diameter, and after Shinji washed the blood away, he placed a cotton ball against the wound, and then wrapped it in surgical tape. He could only hope that it wouldn't become infected. Even so, Asuka's foot would probably hurt for the next few days, and walking would probably be painful.

"How do you feel?" asked Shinji.

"What do you think," said Asuka as she sat up. Lightly placing her injured foot on the ground, she winced slightly, as she put pressure on it. It hurt a lot, but Asuka thought she could deal with it if she absolutely had to.

"Do you want any painkillers?"

"No, I can handle it," sighed Asuka.

Laying back down, she placed her hand over her forehead and muttered, "What a stupid thing to do a week away from Christmas."

"Sorry," whispered Shinji.

"It isn't your fault."

"If I hadn't called out to you though."

"Don't feel sorry for yourself Shinji. What happened, happened. It doesn't matter how or why, but it did. But, a week away...what am I gonna do now?"

"What are you talking about Asuka?" asked Shinji.

Turning her gaze towards him, Asuka mumbled, "Don't act like you don't understand Shinji, afterall, we both had the same idea today. With my foot like this and all though. .."

Shinji understood then, what Asuka was talking about. If all she could do was hobble around the house for the next few days, how was she going to find something for him? He wasn't the only one who was having difficulties, but now Asuka was frustrated that simply walking took enough effort. If that was the case, then-

"You don't have to get me anything," sighed Shinji.

"What? Yes I do. Didn't we agree on this?" said Asuka as her eyes locked with his.

"Well, yeah but, it may be better to keep your weight off your foot."

"So I'm just supposed to stay here and sit around reading, or do whatever, while you go out?" Asuka was growing angry at him.

Shinji didn't mean it like that, but he didn't think that getting him a present warranted walking around the neighborhood, and risk opening the wound again. The wound wasn't serious, but Shinji wasn't taking any chances. The fact that he hadn't seen anything, any vision, was a good sign, but again, he wasn't even entirely sure how that worked.

"If I say I can handle it, then I can," said Asuka. She didn't want to be a liability again; she had already gone through that once before, and she wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Whether you can handle it or not, isn't up for debate; its whatever's best for you which is what I'm concerned about."

"Whatever's best for..." stuttered Asuka. Darting her eyes away from Shinji, she couldn't help but feel her cheeks heat up. Always saying something like that; why did he have to say things like that? He sometimes said awfully heartfelt things, and Asuka was never sure whether that was his nature, or something else.

"Asuka?" asked Shinji, puzzled over this silence from her.

"Why did you say something like that?" mumbled Asuka, her face turned away from his.

"Something like that? Oh. Whatever's best for you? Well, it's how I honestly feel, so I just said what I felt."

Asuka turned back to him, staring at Shinji who was sitting in front of the couch at eye level with her. Why did he care about her so much? Did he feel obligated for some reason to look after her? Asuka didn't need somebody watching her back, or maybe it was better to say, she had never needed somebody to watch her back. What did that entail though? To lend the person a helping hand when they were down; to nurse them back to health when they were sick; to simply be beside them? Did Asuka want Shinji beside her?

"Why do you feel that?" whispered Asuka, almost inaudibly.

"Why? I don't know," shrugged Shinji. "I just do. Is it that unusual?"

"No, but-"

'Do I deserve that?' wondered Asuka. 'Do I deserve this...this...'

Asuka had difficulties putting those thoughts into words, even in her own mind. What had she done to make Shinji care about her? Was it because she helped him, when his leg was broken? Was it because she hadn't shunned him, even after every strange circumstance that had arisen around him? Was it because he had just gotten used to her, haughtiness and all? What if it was something else?

"Asuka, are you feeling alright?" asked Shinji.

Being pulled away from her thoughts, Asuka stared back at Shinji, his head tilted slightly to the side and looking at her.

"F-Fine," mumbled Asuka, as she looked away from him; her face was beginning to burn again. Jesus, what was wrong with her?

"You sure? Your face seemed a little red."

"I'm fine," stated Asuka, mustering as much authority in her voice as she could in that moment.

"Okay," nodded Shinji. If Asuka could be so sure of herself, than she must be fine.

"What are you gonna do now?" asked Asuka, as Shinji stood up. "Do you plan on going back out there?"

"Well, I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind, but..."

Shinji frowned, unsure whether he should stay or go. He wanted to keep Asuka company, now that she was stuck in the house, but on the other hand, he was more desperate than ever to find a present for her. Still, he hadn't had any luck so far.

"What are you thinking?" asked Asuka, wondering why he had suddenly stopped in mid sentence.

"Well, I haven't had much luck in finding you something, so I was actually hoping that you could give me some idea what you'd like."

"Thats it?" wondered Asuka. "Even after all this time, you haven't thought of anything?"

"Weren't you in a similar situation?"

"...I guess," mumbled Asuka, "but even if you ask me, I don't really know. If I ever wanted something, I'd have to go out shopping and actually buy it. Now, anything I want I can just get. Besides, I haven't even thought about wanting something just because it appealed to me in a long time. Something that baseless, just felt pointless I think."

"Are you suggesting that I don't get anything for you either?" asked Shinji.

"No, but whether you do or don't doesn't really make a difference to me. It won't make me like, or dislike you any more or less than I already do."

Asuka's attitude was clearly diminished, now that her foot had been cut open. She was less enthused about the gift exchange, and Christmas in general it seemed now.

"It was a stupid idea in the first place," whispered Asuka.

"What was that?" asked Shinji, not hearing her.

"Nothing, forget it," sighed Asuka as she covered her face with her hands.

Shinji spent another hour with her, until he left the house again, in search of a present. He returned to the block where he had been searching, and continued from there. He found many things as he searched the entirety of the neighborhood, but nothing he felt was particularly significant. Maybe his searching was in fact futile, and that it was hopeless.

The look on Asuka's face when she had told him he didn't have to get her anything, was not something he wanted to see. He knew she had only said that, because she wouldn't be able to get him anything. Compared to when she had first suggested the gift exchange, it was a departure from her feelings at the time when she had said he should only get her something. The exchange had meant more to her, than Asuka had initially led Shinji to believe.

After another two hours of searching however, Shinji decided to call it quits. He would try later that night, after he was done practicing with his AT-field. For now, he just wanted to return home where Asuka was waiting.

Opening the door, he hung his jacket up, and turned towards the couch, but was surprised to see that Asuka was missing.

"Asuka?" called Shinji.

She didn't answer him, and nor did he hear any noise from the rest of the house. He was beginning to feel worried. Surely she hadn't tried to follow after him; he would have certainly seen her if she had.

Checking both the kitchen, living room, and then the study, he determined that she wasn't on the ground floor. Climbing the stairs, he checked both his room, and the empty children's room, before reaching the last door, which was hers. Her door was ajar, and Shinji pushed it open, letting out a low sigh as he saw a familiar face lying curled up on the bed. She wasn't under the covers, but had her legs tucked upwards toward her chest. Smiling slightly at this, Shinji walked over to the bed, and sat on the edge of it, directly next to Asuka. Her face was peaceful as she slept, and Shinji stared at it for several seconds, before turning to other matters. He didn't really want to wake her, but the cotton ball against her foot needed changing.

Gently, he pushed against her shoulder, attempting to wake her. It took him several seconds before he roused her, and when he did, she sat up in a slow daze.

"Uhh...Shinji?" muttered Asuka as her vision came into focus, and she saw him sitting beside her.

"I think it's time I check your wound."

"...Okay," said Asuka, yawning widely.

Carefully, Shinji undid the surgical tape wrapped around her foot, and removed the cotton ball that had been pressed against it. The cotton ball was dyed red, but new blood didn't flow forth from the wound at least. Hurrying downstairs, Shinji retrieved the tape and box of cotton where he had left it, and returned upstairs. As he began rewrapping her foot, Asuka seemed to finally overcome her sleepiness.

"Did you just get back?" she asked.

"Yeah," Shinji nodded, focused on his work. "When I didn't see you on the couch, I was shocked at first, but eventually realized that you probably went upstairs."

"I just wanted to rest, and couldn't get comfortable on the couch, so I ended up walking up here."

"Was it difficult?"

"Not terribly. As long as I braced my hand against the railing, or the wall, I didn't have a problem walking on one leg for the time being. You did the same thing when your leg was broken afterall."

"True," mumbled Shinji.

Finishing his work, he stood up, and glanced down at Asuka. She seemed to be doing better than earlier, but that was just the outward appearance. He didn't know how she was feeling inside.

"Hungry?" Shinji asked her.

"Kinda, isn't it a bit early for dinner though?"

"Yeah, but its okay. What do you want?"

"Nothing in particular," said Asuka as she began to sit up, and then swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Hang on Asuka. Once I'm done with whatever it is I end up making, I'll bring it up here."

"Its not like I can't walk you know," groaned Asuka, "but...fine, I'll wait I suppose."

"Alright," said Shinji as he turned and went downstairs, trying to decide what he wanted to make.

Meanwhile, Asuka got back on her bed, and wrapped the covers around her. Being waited on like this by Shinji wasn't that bad, she had to admit.

It wasn't very long before Shinji returned upstairs, so Asuka had to assume he hadn't cooked something very extravagant, at least by their standards. She was right, as Shinji brought up two sandwiches for her, and a cup of tea.

"Aren't you going to have anything?" asked Asuka as Shinji handed her the plate.

"Nah, I'm not really hungry," answered Shinji.

"Suit yourself," said Asuka, as she dug into the small meal.

Shinji watched her eat silently, trying to imagine what she was thinking about. Asuka glanced several times at him, but she didn't say anything about his questioning gaze.

After she was done eating, she handed the plate to Shinji, which he took back downstairs. Sitting against the headboard of her bed, she sipped her tea slowly; she was beginning to feel tired again. It couldn't be very late after four p.m. but she was already feeling tired. Finishing her tea, she lay back down on her pillow, and closed her fluttering eyes slowly. How easy would it be to fall asleep right now...

When Shinji returned upstairs, Asuka was already fast asleep, breathing deeply. Shinji had given her a form of herbal tea, which helped to induce drowsiness. It was better for her to sleep right now.

Shinji stayed beside her bed the remainder of the afternoon, until the sun had fully set. Closing his book that he had been reading when it finally became too dark, he walked downstairs, thinking to have his own dinner. But no, he didn't want to waste any time at this moment. He was going to spend as much time tonight as it took to find a gift for Asuka. Firstly, came his practice with his AT-field however.

Walking to the front door, he grabbed his jacket and stepped out into the frigid night. Shinji walked slowly, dragging his feet through the snow, his mind preoccupied. Shinji couldn't explain it, but he felt that his and Asuka's relationship was changing somehow. They had long since warmed up to each other, but it felt like there was something else there. Shinji felt a certain reaction in his stomach when he sometimes looked at Asuka. He didn't know what it was, but he couldn't call it unpleasant.

While still thinking about these things, he reached the end of the block, where he always practiced. For now, he would have to leave matters with Asuka aside. Concentrating on his AT-field was more important right now. Walking to the middle of the road, he projected his AT-field, slashing upwards towards the sky. His control was still shaky at best, but he wasn't getting as exhausted anymore at least.

He continued practicing, maintaining his AT-field for as long as he could, pushing himself to the limits. He tried the basic wall only once, but didn't feel any change within his control. It was still too powerful for him to control properly.

After another half hour of this, Shinji let his arms drop to the side. He didn't want to exhaust all his energy, since he planned on staying out late tonight. Walking down the middle of the street, he reached the recent neighborhood he had been scouring, and began his search anew.

* * *

><p>How long had it been? How many hours had passed since he begun? The night seemed endless, and yet, Shinji didn't mind this. If the darkness continued indefinitely, then he knew that he had more time to search.<p>

How many houses had he entered these past several hours? How many drawers had he gone through, pulling out peoples personal items, before throwing them to the side? When did he start simply going through the motions, without much sense of what he was doing? Why was he even here in the first place?

It was far into the night now, and Shinji was sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, the silhouette of a house behind him. He had just finished going through it, if you could even call it that at this point, and was now resting on the sidewalk. He didn't know what time it was, but it had to be close to midnight by now.

He was exhausted and spent, on the verge of giving up. No matter where he looked, or what he did, he couldn't find a suitable gift for Asuka. Frustration seared into his mind, and Shinji suddenly stood up, angry that he couldn't accomplish this simple thing. How difficult was it to find a gift for her? It wasn't something that required a lot of thought, as long as it came from his heart.

Stepping off the sidewalk, he walked across the street to the next house, intent on continuing his search. Shinji's footsteps stopped as he was halfway across the street however.

This sensation, it wasn't new to him by any means, but each time it happened, he still got a sense of dissonance. This vision, just as the one previously, was incredibly clear, and he could see everything that was happening. But, it was different than the last one. Before, he had watched Asuka die, but this was different. Nothing bad happened to her, nothing harmful happened; she didn't die, she didn't suffer any injuries. Her life seemed perfectly fine. Why was that?

Asuka was older. She was taller, her hair was longer, and her body had clearly filled out in the years since she was a teenager. Something was different however, not just in the way she looked, but her personality as well. She seemed much friendlier, and she was smiling a lot as well. Shinji had never seen a side like this of Asuka; maybe occasionally she smiled, but she was never this friendly to Shinji. And speaking of which...

Shinji looked down at his own body, but there was no difference. So he wasn't here obviously, nor was he viewing it from somebody else's body. Why was he here in the first place then?

Brief images flashed by of Asuka, but he didn't see himself in any of these glimpses. Was this it then? Was this were Asuka would be several years from now? Where was he? What was he doing? Was this even the world as he knew it? It was only a vision after all so-

The image changed, and Shinji felt like he had suddenly been struck over the head with a large object. That...thing didn't even exist anymore. Asuka was still older, but she was clearly piloting an Evangelion, her Evangelion from what Shinji remembered her telling him. Why was she inside that thing again? Such a thing wasn't even possible! The Evangelions didn't exist anymore! What was she fighting!?

The image grew blurry, and Shinji felt as though his head had split open. He had never felt pain like this because of his visions, and it wasn't even triggered by anything. Only darkness surrounded him, his entire vision being taken up by this darkness. What was this? What was going on? Why was he seeing these things? Was his other self trying to tell him something?

Shinji's vision came suddenly back to him, and he was standing in the middle of the dark street, snow surrounding him. His eyes were watery from the pain, and he reached up to touch his face, before he felt something else change; inexplicable anger filled him. He wanted to destroy something, anything, just so this feeling would disappear. Something was boiling to the surface within him, and Shinji didn't notice it, but his eyes turned blood red then.

As though some otherworldly force was controlling him, Shinji felt his body move without him controlling it. Next second, his AT-field was projected in front of him. The AT-field whipped outwards, striking the ground, and went soaring towards the house he had been about to enter. With an almighty crack, wooden beams splintered cleanly, as his AT-field ripped the house apart, cleaving a line straight down the middle.

His body turned, swinging his AT-field around, and crashed into the house beside it. His AT-field had changed, compressed down into the basic wall, and had collided against the house, crumpling it like a piece of paper. Shinji licked his lips with pleasure, but this wasn't enough destruction, far from it for that matter. Destroying objects and buildings just wasn't the same as the feel of flesh being ripped apart.

Thoughts entered Shinji's mind, unbidden by his own thoughts. An image surfaced in his mind, driven by whatever force had taken over his body. Heavy footsteps fell onto the snow, treading a familiar path to a certain house. With a single jump, a body flew into an upstairs window, crashing through the glass of the master bedroom. A single scream rang out in the darkness. The sound of a panicking voice, and then a single word spoken: Shinji. Without remorse or any sign of hesitation, a flash of orange erupted out of thin air, cleaving the entire house in two.

It was impossible, simply impossible that such a thing could happen. He couldn't let it happen, wouldn't let it happen.

But he had no control over his body.

Shinji took one step forward, and then another step forward, walking quite calmly through the snow, his blood red eyes gleaming clearly in the night. The sensation he had gotten before, he would soon feel again. This time, he wouldn't be held back. That part of his mind wasn't strong enough to contend with him anymore.

And he was right. Shinji couldn't do anything to stop this onslaught of death, and he felt himself sinking into darkness.

Until his knees struck the asphalt.

Shinji lay there, hunched on the ground, his knees bleeding from the impact with the asphalt. What had happened? What had-

Shinji vomited violently, stomach bile spilling across the ground and dribbling down his chin onto his shirt. Everything...everything

Slowly, Shinji tilted his head upwards, looking at the scenery around him. Every house was intact, without any sign that they had been destroyed by his AT-field. Then that entire time...

Shinji started shaking uncontrollably, remembering what he had seen. The entire time, it had all been a vision. But to do something like that-

Shinji vomited again, feeling incredibly weak. Just the thought of what he had seen himself do, was enough to make him vomit. Why, why had he seen that!? Was he actually going to do something like that!? What was the purpose of seeing something like that!

Even though his knees had already healed, Shinji struck his clenched fist against the ground as hard as he could. His knuckles burst open, spilling fresh blood on the ground, and revealing the white of the bone. Almost instantly, they began to heal, and Shinji hardly felt the sting of pain. But he didn't care, pain was what he needed right now.

What was up with the other stuff he had seen though? Asuka was older, and then she was piloting an Evangelion, and then-

No, don't think about that.

But, they were all different, and yet all felt real at the same time. He had never seen multiple things at once before, and had always based his decision on what he had seen at the time. Does what he see actually happen, or is it only the possibility of happening? Why the possibility? Why not yes, or no? Positive or negative?

Human choices, choices which he could react to, or not react to. Ultimately, it was his decision to believe what he saw, and decide what course to take based on what he saw. Then, everything was simply a possibility, and based on the actions he took, would lead to one reality, or another. What he saw were the eventual outcomes of those realities. The first, Asuka older, but without Shinji in her life, she was living happily and safe. The middle, Asuka still piloting an Evangelion, but whether or not Shinji was in her life, wasn't shown. And the last...

The last was something that was always circling above Shinji. Whether or not he could control his AT-field, and what he was, from spiraling out of control. If it did, then he would certainly hurt Asuka.

This was a sobering thought, and Shinji continued sitting there in the middle of the street for several seconds. Based on what he had seen, for Asuka, the better outcome was for him to disappear from her life. But they were the only two people even left alive it seemed. Maybe it was selfish for Shinji to think this, but he didn't want to disappear from Asuka's life, even if his vision showed what was likely best. Asuka was, important to him, so...

Shinji didn't know why, but he stood up then, and suddenly decided to project his AT-field. Whether it was because of his determination to remain with Asuka, or his wish to remain as he was, Shinji didn't feel any hesitation when he projected his AT-field. Somehow, his control was better now, and he didn't have any difficulties condensing the power down from his AT-field to a smaller form. He felt lighter in fact, almost like a feather floating in the wind.

Shinji dissipated his AT-field, and looked down at his right hand. His AT-field, was in a sense, who he was. If he remained as he was currently, the same person that Asuka knew, he didn't see any complications in the future. He wanted to stay as he was, and remain beside her, but there was this other force that was trying to gain control over him.

'My angel half maybe,' thought Shinji. 'If thats really true.'

He hadn't forgotten those red eyes he had seen, twice now for that matter. Was that happening to him, even though he didn't realize it? Did it happen every time he used his AT-field?

Forcing himself to walk forward, Shinji reached the other side of the street, while pondering this. Glancing up to the house which he had seen himself destroy, he decided that he'd check this last house before returning back home. He had already decided to do so anyway, even before his vision had struck. He didn't have much hope, but nonetheless, he ventured forth into the house.

* * *

><p>Shinji spent longer in that house than he had intended, and when he finally returned back to his own home, it was with an additional weight in an inside pocket of his jacket.<p> 


	17. Emotions

**Here's the chapter for Christmas Eve. I got a lot to say, but I'll wait till tomorrow when I post the next chapter. And speaking of such, I should probably go finish it.**

* * *

><p>A full week had passed since Shinji's excursion outside, in which he had been struck by a horrifying vision. He tried his best not to think about what he had seen, a possibility that could occur if he couldn't control his other self. He didn't speak about this to Asuka, nor that he had had gained greater control over his AT-field. Now, whenever she watched him practice, he made it look like he was having difficulties, but in reality, he didn't have any problems controlling it. During the days when she didn't, he practiced with his full force, projecting his AT-field across a wide area. He was still having some difficulties with the basic wall, but it wasn't pushing him back anymore. It was more a problem with his concentration now.<p>

Asuka's foot hadn't become infected, and within a few days after the initial wound, she was insisting that she could walk outside again. Shinji knew from the look in her eyes as she looked at him then, that no matter what he said, she wouldn't listen to him. He suspected that she was putting on a brave front most of the time, and sometimes saw her wince, or stumble. Whenever she stumbled, Shinji usually offered his shoulder to her. Begrudgingly, she usually took him up on the offer.

Other than that, there was of course the object that Shinji had found the same night in which he had that vision. It was a small thing, seemingly incredibly insignificant, but when Shinji had seen it, some part of him just thought of giving it to Asuka. There wasn't anything associated with it, that triggered some forgotten memory in him, but it was more on a whim than anything.

After he had returned home that night, he stuffed the small package into his dresser drawer, burying it under the clothes he had accumulated. He didn't think Asuka was the type to go scouring through the house, looking for something that Shinji might have hidden from her, but he didn't want to take any chances. Wrapping it was more of a problem however. Shinji had never given a gift to anybody, and neither had he ever wrapped a Christmas present. Layering on the fact that he was keeping this a secret from Asuka, he could only wrap the gift at night, and finding wrapping paper itself had been difficult.

The following day, Shinji had gone out earlier, combing through the houses he had visited in the past, before finding wrapping paper sufficient for the season. The wrapping paper was entirely red, with silver stars dotting the red here and there. It was simplistic, but Shinji thought that may be best.

That night, after Asuka had gone to bed, and Shinji had already finished his practice, he began attempting to wrap the gift downstairs. He messed up several times, crumpling the paper accidentally, but eventually managed to do an okay job. The package was so small, that he had decided to place it in something else, a rectangular cardboard box. Even by taking a brief glance at the shape of the gift, it was easy to guess what may be inside. With this, Asuka would have more questions about it.

Shinji was right, as the next morning, when Asuka went downstairs, her eyes passed over the tree, and locked onto the package underneath it. Shinji, who had been cooking breakfast, heard the sound of running feet, and just looked behind him to see Asuka breathing rather heavily. She had dragged him out into the living room, and began systematically shaking the package. Shinji was glad he hadn't left it loose in there, as it would have certainly rattled around. After doing this many times, Asuka finally gave up, but then stammered out an awkward thanks towards Shinji. He appreciated this, but didn't know what her reaction would be when she realized what he had gotten her.

That was now four days ago, and it was the day before Christmas. Tension was high today, but not in an unpleasant manner. Every day since Asuka had seen her gift under the tree, with her name written on it in an untidy scrawl, she had shaken it every time like a little kid would, and today was no different. Shinji could even hear her humming to herself slightly as she did this, while he was working in the kitchen. They had just finished breakfast, and were preparing to go to the supermarket. Snow still covered the roads, but it hadn't snowed in two days, so they decided that right now was as best a time as any, to stock up on groceries.

Walking into the living room, Shinji wiped his hands on a dishtowel, glancing over to where Asuka was kneeling.

"If you keep rattling it like that, you're gonna break it," exclaimed Shinji.

"Then tell me what it is already," groaned Asuka.

"Wouldn't you rather wait just one more day, and find out then?"

Since Shinji had placed her gift under the tree, Asuka had attempted to wriggle any information about the gift from him. She had brought the subject up many times, entirely at random, hoping to startle him into telling her what it was. Shinji knew that Asuka was stubborn and determined, but he had never seen her like this before. She really was just like a little kid.

"Why can't I just open it now? One day isn't going to make a difference."

"Tomorrow's Christmas, so you'll open it then," stated Shinji.

Asuka let out a low sigh, before placing her present back under the tree. Standing up, she walked over to Shinji, and jabbed him lightly in the side.

"What was that for?" asked Shinji, surprised by this.

"No reason," said Asuka, smirking slightly. "Are you done in the kitchen?"

"Yeah. I'm ready whenever you are, unless you want to spend some more time here instead."

"I was only waiting for you idiot," muttered Asuka, as she looked away from him. Shinji raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply.

Gathering up their sweatshirts, and the car keys, they stepped out into the frozen world.

Asuka drove carefully to the supermarket they always went to. The tires on their car weren't the best, and they didn't have four-wheel drive for the extra traction, so Asuka never went above twenty. The snow was powdery for the most part, and there wasn't any sign of ice, so sliding out of control wasn't a problem. That was the last thing they needed right now.

Parking at the front of the store, they clambered out, Asuka throwing her hood over her head, attempting to block out a frigid breeze that just sprung up.

"Know what you're getting?" asked Shinji.

"More or less," nodded Asuka.

Since Asuka was unable to find a present for Shinji, she decided that the least she could do was prepare dinner tomorrow. Today, they had come here mainly for that purpose, and Asuka had already compiled a list of things in her mind that she needed for dinner tomorrow. Shinji had offered to help her, but she had told him that this was her way of showing appreciation. Shrugging, Shinji just let her do as she pleased.

While Asuka walked up and down the isles, gathering up everything she needed, Shinji wandered the isles aimlessly, thinking to himself. Ever since that vision he had had, his AT-field wasn't as difficult to control. He could mold its shape, and in general, control it better than before. Did practicing ever have an actual affect, or by doing that, did Shinji feel better about himself?

He hadn't forgotten about the vision he had, with the multiple possibilities within, but one thing bothered him. The last thing he had seen, when he went on a rampage was certainly disturbing, but seeing Asuka piloting an Evangelion while older, was just as strange. Firstly, the Evangelions didn't even exist anymore, or if they did, Shinji had no idea where they could be. Secondly, judging by what he had seen, it was easy to assume that close to four or five years had passed in that vision from this current time period. What was she fighting however? Where was Shinji in all this? It didn't make any sense to him.

"I'm done," came Asuka's voice from one of the other isles. Calling back to her, Shinji met her at the front entrance, and they walked to the car. Asuka refused to allow him to help load the car, so he instead had to wait patiently in the passenger seat while she did this. After she was done, she climbed back in the car and drove them home.

Shinji looked out his window, watching the snowy scenery slowly flashing by. It was hard to image they had been living here for over a month now. The time had gone by so quickly.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Asuka.

"What makes you ask that?" said Shinji as he glanced at her.

"Shinji, I've been with you long enough now, to recognize when you're thinking."

"Well, you're not wrong," sighed Shinji.

"So what is it?"

"Nothing important, just surprised how long we've been here for."

"Tokyo-2, or our house?"

"Both I suppose. I never imagined this far ahead, when we were still on the beach of Tokyo-3, that we would be here right now. Everything seems so unreal."

"I suppose," shrugged Asuka. "You aren't getting bored of this place, are you?"

"No, and even if I was, we can't do much until the winter season ends."

"Well, we did say we'd stay here until then. Afterwards though," mumbled Asuka.

Both lapsed into silence, wondering about what the future would offer, and how their lives would be affected. Shinji had gotten tired of the rain and snow, and Tokyo-2 itself wasn't the brightest city in the world. But where else would they go?

Returning home, Asuka brought the groceries inside, and stored them away. Of course, Shinji wasn't allowed to help, so he waited on the couch until Asuka was done. It wasn't even noon yet, and Shinji was already getting bored. They had been outside in the snow many times, and it had lost its luster now.

"You done in there yet?" asked Shinji from the couch.

"Why?" Asuka returned his call.

"No reason," mumbled Shinji. Just having Asuka in his presence alleviated some of his boredom.

"Well, I am almost done I suppose," said Asuka, as she sound of drawers closing could be heard.

Several minutes later, Asuka walked into the living room, sitting down next to Shinji. Stretching, she pulled off her sweatshirt, tossing it on the floor beside her, and then carefully pulled off her socks. Her foot was still wrapped in surgical tape, but any possible bleeding had stopped a long time ago.

"How does it feel?" asked Shinji.

"Hurts a little, but thats natural I suppose," sighed Asuka as she began unwrapping her foot. It was likely that she would have a scar now, but Asuka didn't complain about this. It was afterall on the bottom of her foot, something which was rarely seen. If it had been her face, that would have been a different story.

"Can you get the tape out of my room? I think I left it up there," said Asuka.

"Yeah," nodded Shinji.

Walking upstairs, he entered Asuka's room, and spotted the roll of tape on the table beside her bed. Not lingering for long, he returned back downstairs, and handed the item to Asuka, before sitting back beside her.

Placing a new cotton ball against her wound, she began rewrapping the surgical tape around her foot, and then tore off the end, finishing her job.

"Thats better," said Asuka as she placed her foot back on the ground. She didn't bother putting her sock back on. Glancing over at her, Shinji watched her wiggle her toes for several seconds before looking the other way.

"So, what did you want to do today?" asked Shinji.

"I don't know," replied Asuka. "There wasn't anything I had in mind. Did you want to go outside?"

"No, not really," said Shinji truthfully. "However-"

Shinji's words were cut off, as an almighty crashed resounded from somewhere. They both jumped up instantly, surprised by this sudden noise. It wasn't anything in there vicinity, but the noise had ricochet off the many surrounding houses. Whatever it had been, it had come from several blocks away.

Throwing on their sweatshirts again, Shinji and Asuka walked out into the frozen winter world, Asuka leaning on Shinji's shoulder. A large cloud of dust could be seen hovering in the distance, far down the road from where they stood. Glancing at each other, they nodded, deciding to go investigate.

They walked down the street, passing Shinji's training spot, and continued down the road past the street light. As the walked across the street, they could see what had happened from a distance. A tree, apparently weighed down with all the extra snow, had collapsed on a house, crushing it flat. As they neared closer, the remains of a car in the driveway could barely be seen crushed under the trunk of the tree. Splintered pieces of wood littered the front lawn, and the place where the tree had been uprooted was now a giant pit in the earth. Shinji hadn't thought about what the extra weighed on the trees could potentially do, but if the tree was rotted slightly, then this could be the end result.

"Lets head back," mumbled Asuka.

Shinji had to agree with her; their house didn't have any trees nearby at least.

Slowly, they turned away, and began heading back, not noticing the damaged telephone pole above them. When the tree had fallen, it fell in such a way, that some of its lower branches had knocked against the telephone pole, tilting the pole. Gravity did the rest.

The sound of roots being torn from the earth, is much more fierce then a large pole coming dislodged from the ground, and this seconds gap in realization was enough so that Shinji and Asuka were unable to move out of the way. The pole came tumbling down, its shadow growing closer to the ground, gathering speed as it fell to the earth. Asuka began opening her mouth in a shrill scream, but Shinji hardly moved a muscle. A three seconds decision was all that was afforded to him. Ultimately, he had two choices. To let this happen, or to stop it. Neither vision, nor some other force would tell him which was right however, as that came naturally to him.

His AT-field exploded outward, enveloping himself and Asuka, creating a dome around them. The orange dome surrounded them, protecting them from the fallen telephone pole as it came crashing down to the earth. As it collided with Shinji's AT-field, it stopped dead in its tracks, but this force wasn't what Shinji had expected. He had been practicing with his AT-field for a long time, but this was the first time he had come into contact with another object using his AT-field. There was a certain weight to the telephone pole, but it wasn't crushing him. His own AT-field had done that to him in the past, but he could control it properly now.

"...Shinji..." mumbled Asuka from somewhere beside him, but he didn't pay her any attention right now. What came next was important.

During the nights when Asuka didn't watch him, he had tested out his AT-field, attempting to conjure up anything that his mind could fathom. His AT-field was a single entity however, and couldn't exist in two places simultaneously, which is why controlling it instantaneously was important. If he changed his AT-field, the pole would come collapsing towards them again, and it was too close for comfort.

Making his decision, and hoping that it was the right one, Shinji dissipated his AT-field, and then reprojected it a second later. The flash of orange happened, and Shinji's AT-field erupted in front of him, in the form of the standard wall. If he had cut the pole in half, the chance of it falling on them was still possible, so this was currently the safest bet. Still, Shinji couldn't maintain this for long.

Forcing his AT-field against the pole, he slowly began to bear down on it, crushing it to pieces like he had seen his other self do in his vision. The wood splintered and collapsed in on itself, being crushed in midair until there wasn't anything left.

Dissipating his AT-field, Shinji collapsed on the spot, sinking to his knees. His first time using his AT-field for both protection and destruction; it was a strange feeling certainly.

"Shinji..."

Glancing behind him, he didn't realize it, but Asuka's face was a mere inches away from his. During the entirety of this, Shinji hadn't realized it, but Asuka had been clutching onto his arm, afraid of the situation.

"Asuka...um..."

Asuka didn't reply, but continued to just stare back at him. Was she staring at what he thought she was staring at.

"Hey Asuka...are my eyes red right now?"

It took her several seconds to reply 'yes.'

"I see," muttered Shinji. "What do you think of this?"

"I don't know," Asuka finally spoke. "I've seen those red eyes before, when you first showed me your AT-field."

"And you didn't think it mattered to tell me this?" asked Shinji, feeling slightly hurt.

Hanging her head, Asuka mumbled, "I convinced myself that it wasn't important, but I suppose that was wrong of me."

As to that, Shinji didn't have a comment for. Whether she was right or wrong, didn't matter anymore. Shinji had discovered it on his own anyway.

"They are changing back to the normal brown however," said Asuka.

"Well thats good at least," said Shinji. Asuka was still clutching his arm, and it was making him rather uncomfortable now. He was aware of the warmth emanating off her body, as well as the small bulge of her chest he could feel through her sweatshirt.

"Asuka...could you let go-" but she cut him off instead.

"Shinji, have you been holding back whenever I watch you practice?"

There it was; this is what she had been really wondering about. Shinji could never fool Asuka indefinitely.

Scratching the back of his head with his free hand, he said awkwardly, "Yeah...I was."

"Why? Have you been this powerful the entire time, and just not been showing me because of...some sort of protection, or-"

"No, nothing like that. My control, improved suddenly though, and I didn't want to scare you because of the change in my AT-field."

Asuka didn't reply, but she did finally let go of his arm, and walked several paces away from him. At first, Shinji thought that she was backing away from him, because she was now afraid of him, but his worries vanished when she smiled at him.

"I think this was more scary then simply showing me the change in your AT-field. Either way, I suppose its a good thing. But why the sudden change in the first place?"

Shinji was wondering if it was coming to this, but knew that if he didn't explain, Asuka would grow angry at him. Sure enough, in the few seconds pause he hadn't said anything, Asuka had walked over to him, and was glaring up at him.

"Well?" she asked.

Shinji glanced back down at her glaring eyes. There was a limit to what he could say, and what he couldn't; he certainly knew this. Explaining it all to Asuka would take sometime however.

"Walk with me for a bit," mumbled Shinji as he turned away from her.

Asuka thought that his intentions differed from hers however, because she grabbed onto his wrist, and held him in place.

"Are you avoiding the subject?" she asked.

"No, but I would like to talk to you about this while we walk I guess."

"Why couldn't we just go back home instead where it's warm?"

"No real reason. Just a whim I guess," he said with a small smile.

Without having any other options, Asuka had to agree to this, even if she didn't relish the idea. The telephone pole collapsing had already been purged from her memory, but the feeling she had gotten when Shinji projected his AT-field around them, protecting them from the possibility of death. Asuka had never been close enough to Shinji's AT-field to really feel its intensity, but now she understood just how powerful it was. Not only that, but she could sense something else in that moment. A desire to protect her, was the simplest way that Asuka could explain what she had gathered from Shinji's AT-field. It was like Shinji himself was protecting her in that moment.

As they continued walking, Shinji began to tell Asuka the events that had happened a week ago, when he was still desperately searching for some sort of gift for her. He told her about the vision he had had, of herself seemingly older, happy, at peace in the world. Next, he told her about what he had seen about the Evangelions, how she was piloting one, even though she appeared older. As to this, Asuka didn't have any idea what it meant, but she did have something to say about the previous vision.

"So why did I seem so happy?" asked Asuka as she stopped walking.

"I don't know," mumbled Shinji, but Asuka didn't buy this.

"You do, but you just don't want to admit it."

She was right of course, and the expression on Shinji's face showed this. He had already made his decision, that he wouldn't be leaving Asuka's side, thereby negating that possibility, but again, this was just his selfish desire. How did Asuka actually feel about this?

"From what I could tell, judging by what I saw, I was no longer in your life, and therefore, you were happy."

"What kind of shit is that?"

Asuka stated this almost matter-of-factly, like such a thing was utterly ridiculous.

"Shinji, do you not think I'm happy right now?" asked Asuka.

"...I don't know," admitted Shinji. "I'd like to think so, but I honestly don't know."

"Do you think I would be happy if you suddenly disappeared from my sight?"

"I'm only going based on what I saw."

"They're just visions Shinji. Are they actually set in stone?"

No, she was right about this, but they still existed as a possibility. Whether it could happen or not, wasn't of course dictated solely by Shinji. He could do his best to steer away from that reality, but if Asuka's opinion differed from him, then the whole thing could fall apart.

"They're possibilities, which may, or may not occur, depending on what choices I make."

"But you're afraid that I may want that reality, that whatever else could be waiting for us, is worse for me, than that possibility which you saw."

She was correct of course, but Shinji didn't say anything.

"Shinji, whatever may happen to us down the road," continued Asuka, "I can make my own decisions right now about whether I'm happy or not. Truthfully, I can't say whether I am or not right now, but I know I wouldn't be happy if you were to suddenly disappear. That vision, reality, possibility, or whatever it is, isn't something that I want to happen. Besides, if you aren't here, who would make breakfast every morning."

'So thats what it came down to,' thought Shinji with a small sigh. He wondered though, the reasoning behind Asuka's decision. She said that she wouldn't be happy if he was to suddenly disappear from her sight, so what did that basically mean?

"What about the Evangelion thing then?" asked Shinji. "If my visions show me possibilities of the future, does that possibility exist, that you could be piloting one again?"

"I don't see how thats possible at all. Logically, the Angels would have to return, and I'm guessing that because of Third Impact, that won't happen. Not to mention that there doesn't seem to be any other humans around. Maybe there's something else that we aren't understanding."

"Maybe," muttered Shinji.

They lapsed into silence, both absorbed in each others thoughts. Shinji was thinking back to that night a week ago, when he had witnessed the horrific thing his other self had done. Did that possibility still exist, or had he overcome his other selfs sway? He could sometimes sense another voice calling to him, especially during the times when he used his AT-field.

"Hey Shinji?" asked Asuka suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Since you were out searching for a gift for me, did you find it in that house?"

Shinji was surprised that she could put the brief mentions of the house he had been about to enter, together with the timeline of when her gift had shown up under the tree. There wasn't any reason for him to refute this, so he just nodded, admitting it. Seeing this as a chance however, Asuka began questioning him about its contents again. Asuka continued badgering him, as they began the return journey to their house.

* * *

><p>Even with the excitement of the morning, the afternoon dragged by slowly, as Shinji and Asuka wasted away the remaining hours of the day. Asuka took a bath upstairs in her bathroom, using the accumulated water they had gathered from the grocery store, as well as from the buckets outside. It was cold, but it was still warmer than standing naked outside in the snow..<p>

Shinji lay lengthwise on the couch, reading a book and enjoying the warmth of the fireplace. He had already read this book multiple times, but it was at least something to pass the time. Hearing footsteps, he glanced behind him to see Asuka just reaching the bottom landing of the stairs. She was drying her hair off with a towel, but she was clad in nothing but a loose tank-top, and shorts. A month ago, Asuka would never have walked into the same room as Shinji looking like this, but at some point, she had just stopped caring. Course, there were still limits.

Sitting down in front of the fireplace, Asuka continued drying her hair, aware of Shinji's gaze from the couch. Well, she couldn't really blame him, she supposed.

Finished with drying her hair, Asuka shifted over to the tree, and picked up her gift again, looking down at it. It was hard to express her feelings over receiving something of this nature, even though she didn't know what its contents contained. She had received presents before over the course of her life, but nothing really memorable. This was something that Shinji had gotten for her, with his thoughts focused on what she would most like. She knew that he had a lot of difficulties finding something, so she wondered what had made him choose whatever this was. Either way, she'd find out tomorrow.

Standing up, she moved away from the tree, and sat down on the couch beside Shinji.

"Still wondering what it is?" said Shinji from his side of the couch.

"How could I not be," Asuka replied, with a small sigh. "I better not be disappointed."

"I'm not making any promises," shrugged Shinji. "Though it is something I think you'll like."

"Why?"

"I don't know, but when I saw it, I just had this feeling I guess you could say."

"Getting me something just because you had a feeling," grumbled Asuka, not happy about this explanation. Still, she couldn't deny that she was excited for tomorrow, and she had her own duty to perform as well, since she hadn't managed to get anything for Shinji. She already knew what she wanted to cook, even though the preparation would take some time.

A chill suddenly ran up her spine, and she shivered from it. The living room was warm, but her body was still cold from the bath. Well, she could either change into something warmer, but she didn't really want to leave the couch. Making a decision, she stood up and went to the closet near the front door. They kept some blankets in there for times like these.

"What are you doing?" asked Shinji, as he watched her. His question was answered seconds later, as Asuka returned with a bundle of blankets. Without warning him, Asuka tossed the blankets at Shinji, covering him in them, and then sat down beside him. Muttering slightly, Shinji removed the blankets from him, but predicting what Asuka, wanted covered her with one of the larger blankets.

"Happy?" asked Shinji.

Asuka didn't reply, and her face was turned away from his. The blanket that Shinji had thrown at her was far to large for her own body, and so Asuka offered the empty space to him.

"I'm not really cold," Shinji said, wondering why Asuka was acting so strange.

"Well I am," muttered Asuka after a seconds pause.

'Ah, so thats what she was getting at,' thought Shinji. It had been a long time since they had kept warm like this together. During the days when they slept in the tent, it was natural to be sleeping against each others back, to keep warm. While still the same principle, Shinji couldn't remember a time when they had sat directly next to each other, their bodies leaning against each other, while a warm blanket enveloped them. Just this simple concept seemed to be embarrassing Asuka somewhat, and even Shinji had to admit it was embarrassing as well. But, if Asuka was okay with it, then Shinji was too.

"Okay," nodded Shinji.

Sliding across the couch, Shinji placed himself directly next to Asuka, entirely aware of what she was still wearing. He could feel the smoothness of her thigh against his jeans, pressing against his leg. Several drops of water could still be seen clinging to the nape of her neck, and her hair held a certain sheen that was likely from the fragrant shampoo she had used. Against his will, Shinji could feel himself becoming aroused.

"What?" asked Asuka, noticing the uncomfortable expression on Shinji's face.

"Nothing," he hurriedly said, trying to ignore his growing problem. Asuka didn't have a clue about this, but just shook her head and muttered something.

They sat like that for a while, not talking to one another. Each was embarrassed in their own mind, and Shinji more so, as he tried to suppress himself. This wasn't the first time he had felt like this towards Asuka, but he always felt ashamed whenever it happened. It was just a natural reaction that his body had, but he didn't like it, especially towards her. They were only friends afterall.

Asuka meanwhile, had gotten her wish, as he body temperature had skyrocketed when Shinji sat beside her. She felt like she had a fever, even though she knew she didn't, and it wasn't just Shinji's body that was making her this warm; she understood that much. She was overly conscious about his presence beside her, and it was amazing how a matter of inches distance shift between them could make her feel like this. Asuka didn't know how long she could deal with this sudden heat.

Simultaneously, the both looked at each and opened their mouths, intending to say something to the other. Upon seeing that they both had intended to say something, they again closed their mouths, and awkward feeling developing between them. Both were blushing slightly now.

What was the relationship between them now? They had become so used to each others presence that they had very naturally just become used to normal interaction. This was different from their normal, everyday interactions however. A certain intimacy was being shared between them at this moment. Before, they had only done it to remain warm, but somewhere along the line, this notion had changed. When did they begin to just want to be like this together?

"Hey Asuka?" Shinji spoke suddenly, desiring to voice his opinion.

"...What?" she uttered through half closed lips.

"Whats are relationship?"

Asuka didn't reply, not wanting to speak about such a thing. Things were fine as they were afterall, and it wasn't like they needed to change.

'Do you honestly believe that?" came a voice in her mind. She ignored this however, not wanting to give a reason to listen to that part of her.

Leaving the warmth of the blanket, and the feeling of being beside Shinji, Asuka didn't spare him another look, as she went upstairs.

After Asuka's footsteps faded away, Shinji felt a certain urge to lash out with his AT-field, but he suppressed it. Why had he asked such a thing, especially in that sort of situation? He wanted some answers, wondering what Asuka thought about their current living conditions. Maybe he was hasty in his assumption that she would be okay talking about this. Granted, he wasn't even sure he was either.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day slowly faded away, as they each spent their time apart from each other, Asuka upstairs in her room, and Shinji downstairs in the living room. At some point, as the darkness began to set slowly, Shinji decided that he should start preparing dinner. He wasn't in the mood to make anything special, so just settled on the first thing he saw. He called upstairs to Asuka only once, telling her that he was preparing dinner. She didn't reply, but Shinji knew that she at least heard him. Well, if she wanted to come down, she could.<p>

Even after Shinji finished cooking, he didn't hear, or see any sign of Asuka, so he ate dinner by himself in the dining room. Without Asuka's presence, her voice, her occasional smile directed at him, the house felt very lonely and empty. Shinji found himself picking at his food rather absentmindedly, and his appetite began slipping away. Picking up his hardly touched dinner, he emptied the contents into the wastepaper basket. The leftovers were placed on the counter, covered in plastic wrap. If Asuka wished, she could come down later and eat.

Since it was now night, Shinji decided that it was about time he began practice. Knowing that Asuka wouldn't be joining him tonight, he walked to the front door without calling to her. Pausing at the front door, he glanced over at the Christmas tree, spotting the gift he had chosen for Asuka. Would things be like this tomorrow morning?

Leaving the house, he stepped out into the white world. Snow had begun falling from the sky again, painting Shinji's vision white. Walking his usual path, he quickly found himself at the end of the corner, where he always practiced. Instead of stepping out into the middle of the street however, Shinji sat down on the edge of the sidewalk, and leaned back, looking up at the sky.

It was now about three months since he had woken up on the beach of Tokyo-3, and had met Asuka. How many things had they shared together since then, and how many things would they continue to share? What would they do once the winter season ended? Would they continue to live here, in Tokyo-2, or would they try to find another place? There was still two months left until they needed to make that decision, but Shinji was afraid that even when the time came, they wouldn't be ready.

Gathering up some snow that was beside him, he molded it into a snow ball, and flung it up in the air with all his might. As the compacted snow reached its maximum altitude, Shinji's AT-field ripped it apart, turning the snow to dust. He did this several more times, sometimes throwing two in the air at the same time. The feeling he got from the snow was entirely different compared to crushing that telephone pole.

At that moment, when it had been falling towards them, Shinji didn't have an instance where he thought he shouldn't use his AT-field. He had acted almost on extinct, when he had projected the dome over himself and Asuka. He had a nagging feeling that if had been only him there, it would haven't been a big deal. Even if the pole had collapsed on him, and crushed his torso, he probably would have just regenerated himself. With Asuka there, projecting the dome was the right decision.

During these times when he was training, not once had he projected his AT-field based on his emotions. When he practiced, it almost felt like a chore, and so he didn't feel anything when he did this. It was different when the telephone pole had collapsed. He wanted to protect her, simple as that, and his feelings seemed to make it easier to control his AT-field. Even when he had crushed the pole, it was because he wanted to protect Asuka. If he had just cut the pole in half, without Asuka's well being in mind, that would have been simple destruction.

As he threw the last snow ball in the air, Shinji didn't project his AT-field, but let the snow ball fall back to the earth, where it broke apart as it collided with the ground. His hands were beginning to freeze now, but he did still need to actually practice.

With thoughts of Asuka in mind, Shinji began practicing. His focus wasn't as strong as it would have been if Asuka had been watching him, but Shinji did feel his AT-field was easier to control. Initially, he had thought that thinking about Asuka while he practiced would have been a distraction, but it looked like he was wrong. If his emotions helped control his AT-field, thinking about Asuka, as well as something positive was best. But then, the opposite could be said as true.

Anger was a real problem for Shinji now, and yet, he had no idea where it came from. It had to do with his other half, he assumed this much, but he couldn't fathom the reason. If he did let his anger control him, there was a possibility he could go out of control, destroying everything in sight. His emotions were a double-edged sword.

Dissipating his AT-field, he let out a low sigh, and relaxed himself. In the weeks since he had discovered this ability, he had certainly come a long way until now, where he was actually able to use it properly. He still had difficulties here and there, but his control wasn't nearly as shaky as it had been.

Calling it quits for the night, Shinji began returning home. He wasn't sure what to expect when he got back, as he had hardly been gone half an hour.

Walking up the driveway, he didn't spot a light from Asuka's window, and thought that she may have gone to bed early. He didn't think it likely though, considering that it wasn't very late in the first place.

Opening the front door, he hung his jacket up, and spent a minute by the fire, warming his hands up, before he entered the kitchen. The plate Shinji had set aside for Asuka had been cleaned, and was now resting in the sink. So she had eaten at least.

Taking this time to clean up, Shinji washed the dishes, and put everything away he had used for dinner. Rubbing the sleeve of his shirt against his brow in a tired like fashion, he looked around at his handiwork. This was good enough for tomorrow, as well as for when Asuka cooked dinner. Hopefully that was still happening though, Shinji thought.

Wanting to change into something more comfortable for the remaining hours of the day, Shinji began climbing the staircase to the second floor. The hallway was just as dark as usual, but Shinji's eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting. His door was slightly ajar, and dim moonlight was coming through the crack, hitting the opposite wall; against this wall, was Asuka. She was leaning against the wall, her legs drawn up towards her chest, and her arms wrapped around her legs. Half her face was dyed in moonlight, while the other was covered in shadows, creating a rather erie look. Shinji was surprised that he hadn't immediately noticed her.

Apparently, she heard his footsteps climbing the stairs, because she looked over at him. One of her eyes was reflecting moonlight, and the other could hardly been seen, even though they were both clear blue. Shinji found himself taken aback at this, and stared at her for several seconds, before she stood up.

"...Shinji."

"...What?" he replied, still standing near the stairs.

"I wanna...apologize, for how I acted earlier. I shouldn't have just disappeared upstairs without saying anything."

"Well, I did say something unusual," said Shinji.

Asuka didn't reply to that, but simply stood in the moonlight across from Shinji's room. Assuming that it was okay for him to approach her, Shinji walked toward her. Their eyes met for a brief moment, before Shinji turned, and entered his room.

"How was your practice?" asked Asuka.

"Fine. How was dinner?"

"...Fine, and thank you for leaving something out for me."

Shinji only nodded, as he began to pull off his shirt, changing into something else. He didn't hear anything from Asuka, so assumed that she must have turned the other way, or didn't mind that she was seeing his exposed back. As he began unbuttoning his pants however, he did hear a slight inhale, accompanied by the sound of shuffling feet. After he finished, he turned to see Asuka looking away from him. As he passed her to walk back downstairs, he saw her face was lightly tinged with pink. He chuckled briefly at that.

"Where are you going?" asked Asuka, still standing beside his door.

"Downstairs," replied Shinji. "Unless, you had something else to talk about?"

Asuka bit her lips, unsure what she wanted right now.

"I'm coming as well," she stated, following him.

Asuka was acting unusual Shinji thought, but then, he was still remembering what he had said earlier.

Asuka walked into the living room and sat down, while Shinji went into the kitchen and brewed two cups of tea. Returning to the living room, he handed a cup to Asuka, who accepted it graciously, and sat down on one side of the couch. The distance between them now was the complete opposite of what it had been earlier that day. Even the blanket they had been sharing was on the floor in front of the couch between them. All these things, just further reminded them of the moment they had shared.

Setting his cup of tea on the ground, Shinji let out a small yawn, and sank deeper into the couch cushions.

"Tired?" asked Asuka.

"Must be, though I don't know why," said Shinji.

"Maybe it's because of the way you used your AT-field today. Not to mention that you used it twice."

"Maybe," shrugged Shinji, as he began to yawn again. "I don't know if I'm gonna be awake very much longer."

Asuka glanced over at him, as Shinji yawned widely. She had done a good deal of thinking by herself earlier, after she had gone upstairs, and still didn't know what she wanted. She enjoyed things as they were now, but sometimes felt something different creeping up on them. It was gradually happening, and Asuka didn't think either of them had noticed it. What did she want? Did she want this change to progress?

"I think I'm actually going to turn in early," said Shinji, as he stood up. Walking into the kitchen, he poured the rest of his tea into the sink, and turned, but was surprised to see Asuka standing in front of him. He hadn't even heard her get up.

"Something wrong Asuka?" asked Shinji.

"...No, nothing," said Asuka after several seconds of silence.

"...Okay," mumbled Shinji as he walked past her.

That wasn't right however, and Asuka knew this. But simply saying that outright, wasn't something which she thought she could do. It was embarrassing, and even more so, because of how she had acted earlier. However, if she masked it as something else, then that would be okay...probably. This wasn't exactly a first, but then again, in a sense, it was.

As Shinji began ascending the stairs, Asuka turned to look at his back, and said, "Wait Shinji."

Pausing in the midst of taking a step, Shinji looked behind him to see Asuka marching up the stairs after him.

"Asuka, what is it? And you've been acting strange for a while now."

"I have not," retorted Asuka.

"What is it then?"

"I-I've been cold these past nights so..."

Asuka broke off her sentence, her face turning steadily maroon. Why now did she have to feel embarrassed? She was just cold during the nights, so it wasn't like there was any meaning behind her words. But Shinji on the other hand-

"Hmm...well, you do have a point," nodded Shinji.

"Eh?" stuttered Asuka, thinking that she had misheard him.

"Even I've noticed how cold its gotten, and this is coming from me who usually doesn't complain about the cold. You on the other hand..."

"Pardon me for not being a portable heating unit," complained Asuka. Shinji just smirked back at her and continued.

"I guess it would be warmer if we slept downstairs near the fireplace anyway."

"...Huh?" muttered Asuka.

"The living room is the warmest part of the house afterall, so it makes sense to sleep down there. I'll assume that you'll take the couch, and I'll have the floor, so-"

"Thats not what I meant at all you moron!" shouted Asuka, directly at him. Startled by her sudden shout, Shinji fell backwards, collapsing on the stairs, and accidentally brought Asuka down with him as his legs swung upwards in the air. His back was sore from the fall, but he was more aware of Asuka who was leaning against his chest now.

"Why did you shout at me?"

"Because you're an idiot!"

"I don't get you."

"I didn't mean sleeping downstairs in the living room moron. I meant...like we used to...in the tent..."

Asuka's voice became quieter as she reached the end of her sentence, and Shinji was barely able to understand the words she uttered. But he did, and when they registered, he felt his face turning red. He understood why Asuka had been so hesitant to ask about this now, and he also felt like an idiot for misinterpreting her words.

"Well...that is another option, I suppose," mumbled Shinji.

"Forget I mentioned it," said Asuka as she began pushing herself off Shinji, but he held her back.

"What?" asked Asuka, her voice turning steely.

"No, its just that, I don't have a problem with it, so-"

Shinji found himself losing his voice, just as Asuka had.

Staring back at him, Asuka finally said, "Fine...but you could you let me go first."

"Oh, right, sorry," said Shinji hurriedly.

After standing up, there was the other question in mind, and Shinji was the one to ask it.

"Umm...which bed then, should we decide on."

"Mine of course, since it's the larger of the two. I want to put as much distance between myself and you as I possibly can."

'Doesn't that defeat the entire purpose of doing this then?' thought Shinji.

Wordlessly, Shinji followed Asuka up to her room. If it had been his own room they were sleeping in, he probably wouldn't have felt so nervous. On the flip side, Asuka seemed more calm now. In her mind, this was no different than how it had been in the tent. Only now, they were in a house, with multiple bedrooms, sleeping in the same bed, and sharing the same covers. Other than those minor things, no difference.

Asuka climbed into the bed first, as it was hers, and moved to the farthest edge. Shinji stood there at the edge of Asuka's bed, aware that she had slept here every night for the past few weeks. As he battled with his more competent mind, he saw Asuka glaring at him as though saying, 'if you're not gonna get in, then leave already.' Against his better judgement, he climbed into Asuka's bed, staying on his side as well.

"Goodnight Shinji," said Asuka.

"...Yeah," Shinji heard himself reply, not sure who's mouth it had come from.

Try as he might, Shinji found it impossible to fall asleep, and forced himself to not start tossing and turning. If he did that, Asuka would surely wake up and yell at him. Then again, he wasn't even sure whether she had fallen asleep yet. Surely she felt just as awkward about this as he did.

Rolling onto his back, he glanced up at this foreign ceiling, which Asuka looked at every night. When did things evolve to this moment? When had the invisible line been stepped over? These thoughts raced through Shinji's head, until he couldn't take it anymore. Sitting up slowly, he glanced over at Asuka, but didn't see any sign of movement coming from her. Carefully, he left her bed, and tiptoed across the room.

He stopped however, as he heard the shuffling of covers behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Asuka had only shifted positions, and was now facing where he had once been. A part of him felt guilty for leaving like this, but another part of him felt relieved.

Opening the bedroom door, Shinji slowly walked out into the hallway, and entered his own bedroom, closing the door quietly behind himself.

Meanwhile, the moment Asuka's bedroom door had closed, she had opened her eyes, and looked over at the direction where Shinji had disappeared. He had left her, but she wasn't really surprised.

"Coward," Asuka muttered, before she slowly drifted off.


	18. Attraction

**Well Merry Christmas everyone, is the first thing I should say. I initially tried to post this in the morning, but error 503 was giving myself, as well as a lot of people troubles. Oh well, its the internet. Shit breaks. Anyways, I got a bit of rambling to do at the end of this, so I'll wait till then to talk.**

* * *

><p>The 25th, Christmas morning dawned bright an early, without a cloud in the sky. Shinji had expected Asuka to wake him up immediately as soon as the sun rose, but that didn't seem to be the case. As Shinji sat awake in his bed, he had to admit that Asuka may not want to see him right now. She had been so excited when she had first discovered her present under the tree, but now, it seemed her enthusiasm had disappeared. Whether or no this was true, either way, Shinji had to get up and make breakfast.<p>

Forcing himself to stand up, he changed clothes, and opened his bedroom door. He stopped, as he was about to go down the stairs, glancing over to Asuka's door which was firmly closed. He stood by his decision that he made last night. Whatever they had been stepping into, Shinji wasn't sure whether either of them were ready for something like that. Certain feelings weren't unusual in their situation, but then, their situation was anything but normal.

Sighing lightly, he walked downstairs, and began breakfast.

While Shinji was doing this, Asuka's eyes opened in her own room, revealing the world around her. The sunlight from the above window, was beaming down onto her bedsheets, and reflecting off the silky surface, back into her eyes. Rubbing her remaining sleepiness away, she slowly sat up, and stretched.

It was Christmas, but to Asuka, it didn't feel like it was. No holiday lights, no freshly backed cookies, no greeters dressed as Saint Nicholas at malls; just herself and Shinji. She hadn't realized how badly she missed the feeling every year when Christmas was drawing closer. It was something she had taken for granted, and now she missed it.

Throwing the covers off herself, she got out of bed, and started dressing down. She had already heard Shinji's door open earlier, so knew that he was downstairs getting breakfast started. Her present came to mind, but even that didn't make her feel any different. She was still excited to know what he had gotten her, but some of the anticipation had worn off.

Pulling a shirt over her head, she turned back to her bed, and paused briefly, remembering last night. She couldn't explain why she had done what she did, but had already given up on wondering about it. In her mind, it was already in the past, even though it had just happened last night. Leaving this matter aside, Asuka turned away from her bed, and left her room.

Walking down the stairs, she could see Shinji in the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl.

"Whats for breakfast?" asked Asuka, calling out to him. Seeming to be startled, Shinji almost dropped the mixing bowl, before he turned to her.

"Did I scare you?" said Asuka in a mocking tone.

Shinji didn't reply to this, but simply said, "Pancakes," before turning back to the counter.

"I see," mumbled Asuka. She watched Shinji's back for several seconds, before she left and entered the living room. Sitting down on the couch, her gaze immediately turned to the Christmas tree she had decorated. It seemed like several months ago that she had done that. Beneath the tree, sitting on the carpet, was the strange gift that Shinji had gotten her. Ever since it had appeared under the tree, Asuka had shaken it every morning, trying to determine what it was. Seeing as this was Christmas, you'd think that the first thing she'd do, would be to attack the package, and tear it open to reveal its contents. She only gave it a passing glance.

Curling herself up into a ball, Asuka let herself slowly fall onto the couch cushions. She didn't know why, but she felt miserable. It wasn't the events of last night, or even being unable to find Shinji a present; she just felt miserable. Ever since she had woken up on the beach of Tokyo-3, and found Shinji beside her, she hadn't thought much about the situation they were. They simply existed, without much purpose on this barren earth. If they were the only humans left, what then? What was the point of living even?

"Asuka, I just took the first pancake off if you want it," said Shinji from the doorway.

"I'm not hungry," mumbled Asuka, lying through her teeth. She was hungry, but she didn't want to eat anything right now.

"...Okay," said Shinji, not attempting to fight back.

It was a short time later, when Asuka finally decided to get up. Instead up entering the kitchen and getting something to eat however, she walked to the front door, grabbed a jacket, and left. She needed to get her thoughts straight.

When Shinji heard the front door open, he began rushing towards it, but his footsteps quickly slowed until he was halfway between the door and the couch. Was it wise to go after Asuka right now? Shinji didn't know what he could say to her, that would make this whole situation better. In the end, he did nothing.

After Asuka had hurriedly left the house, she ran down to the end of the road, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Shinji wasn't following her. When she was positive about this, she slowed to a stop, reaching the end of the street, breathing rather hard. She was standing at the sidewalk where she always watched Shinji practiced. But right now, she didn't want to think about his practice, his AT-field, or him in general. Only problem, is that was exactly what she need to think about.

Unwillingly, she thought about what Shinji had asked her yesterday. What was their relationship? Friends? Companions? Two people stuck in a fucked up situation. All of those were technically true, but neither of them rightfully described their relationship as it was currently. Asuka felt like she was on a giant cliff beside Shinji, and that jumping off together would mean a drastic change in how they viewed each other.

Asuka had known Shinji for almost three months now, three months in which she had laughed at him, hit him, tried to kill him, and eventually come to accept him as a friend. Those things, and many more, had all happened in these three months. Asuka had never thought that Shinji was somebody who could make her heart race like yesterday, but he had proved her wrong. Or maybe her own feelings had betrayed her.

In Asuka's life, she had never known what love was. True, she had a mother who loved her deeply, but she had very vague memories of that. After her mother had died, she had to learn to fend for herself in a household devoid of love. She had thrown away her emotions, and refused to cry anymore, because such things were useless to her. After she became an Evangelion pilot, those things had even further been sealed away inside of her, to the point where her entire existence was wrapped up in the concept of being the best pilot. Those physical object didn't exist in this After Impact world, and Asuka's emotions had steadily begun to resurface. Before she met Shinji, when was the last time she had laughed? When was the last time she had cried? When was the last time...she felt like this?

These were all very unusual feelings for Asuka, and so, she wasn't sure what to make of them. They were pleasant, but also hurt her sometimes. When Shinji didn't tell her what was wrong with him, it hurt her, knowing that he didn't trust her with something of such importance. When something happened to him, he turned away from her, refusing to acknowledge it. Asuka didn't care about his AT-field, his physical strength, his regenerative abilities, or even his eyes which changed colors. She only cared about the Shinji she knew, the Shinji that she had come to know over the course of these three months.

So the question was, did she like Shinji? Did Asuka love Shinji?

As Asuka walked down the long highway across from the streetlight, she had this thought, and had to stop. Love was maybe too strong a word for her, but like was...well, like as in what? A friend? That much was obvious, but something else. Strong affection towards, might be one way to characterize her feelings, but did affection make Asuka's face turn red like yesterday? Did affection make her hormones turn into a raging fire? Asuka was no expert in these things, but she didn't think so.

No, she was attracted to Shinji.

Still, even realizing that didn't do anything for Asuka's mental state. How had something like that happened? Shinji wasn't good looking, or manly in any way. He was a wimp, a pushover, and somebody that Asuka could never imagine being attracted to. Her emotions didn't lie however, so how did it happen? Was it really just because she had been around him for so long, or was it the little things that mattered? Waking up beside him when they had been living in the tent. Eating meals together, or sitting beside the fireplace together. When had she started to feel this way towards Shinji.

Asuka let out a low sigh, realizing that she had more or less, acknowledged her feelings. It didn't make her feel any better however. She knew that Shinji likely had similar feelings towards her, but that wasn't the problem. Both of them, and Asuka included herself as well, even though she would never admit it, were socially awkward. Shinji had grown up by himself, without anybody to talk to, friends and adults alike. Asuka on the other hand, had grown up considering herself superior to everybody around her, and in the process, ruled that friends were meaningless. Neither had experienced emotions like they were feeling currently, along with the added weight of hitting puberty.

Continuing to walk, Asuka determined that it was about time she head back. Shinji was no doubt beginning to worry, and Asuka knew what that felt like. Spinning around, she returned the way she came, creating two sets of footprints in the snow.

When she came to their neighborhood, and rounded the street corner where the streetlight was, she spotted a familiar face sitting on the sidewalk. Shinji was sitting there, apparently waiting for Asuka to return. She smiled at this briefly, as she walked towards him. When Shinji spotted her, he stood up, and jogged over to her. Asuka didn't know how long Shinji had been sitting there, or even how long she had been gone, but she was glad to see him.

"Hey," said Asuka as they got within speaking distance. Shinji didn't reply, but simple stood within arms length of her. Seeing this, Asuka's small smile fell slightly. Was Shinji angry with her because she suddenly walked off?

"Look, I'm sorry about just leaving without telling you, but I-" began Asuka, but Shinji interrupted her.

Reaching out towards her, he grabbed onto both of her hands, and held them in his. Shinji's hands were slightly bigger than her own, so they fit perfectly together. Not being prepared for this however, Asuka immediately retorted back to him.

"Wh-What are you doing you-"

"Your hands are cold Asuka," mumbled Shinji as he looked down at her hands clasped in his.

"Are they? I hardly even noticed," said Asuka. "Still, it isn't like it's far from our house anyway. I can warm them up near the fireplace."

Shinji didn't say anything, but continued holding Asuka's hands, making the person in question begin to blush.

"Say something already idiot!"

"...No, sorry," muttered Shinji, as he let go of her hands. Asuka wasn't pleased with this statement however. Even though he had been the one to let go of her hands, Asuka grabbed his right back. Her hands were cold, and his were certainly warmer, so it only made sense to do this.

"C'mon, we're going home," said Asuka as she passed Shinji, still holding onto his hand.

"Asuka?"

"Shut it!"

Asuka was fuming by the time they got home, and sat down on the couch, crossing her arms, making it look as though they'd never become untangled. Shinji had entered the kitchen, and was starting the grill again, preparing to use the remaining batter for Asuka's pancakes. After he was done, he brought a plate out for Asuka, with two pancakes on it. Asuka didn't say anything as Shinji handed her the food, but began wolfing it down. She had grown hungrier since her walk, and didn't care about appearances right now. Shinji cleaned up the kitchen in the meanwhile, waiting for her to be done.

When she was done though, Asuka walked into the kitchen, and dumped the plate in the sink, directly in front of Shinji. Turning around, her long hair spinning behind her, Asuka walked back into the living room, out of sight from Shinji. As he washed her dish, he could hear the shuffling of blankets coming from the other room. He was curious, but not enough to leave yet. He was giving Asuka time to cool off, though for what, he didn't know.

Several minutes later, Shinji walked out into the living room. Asuka was lying lengthways on the couch, a large blanket draped over her, the same one they had used yesterday. As Shinji continued staring at her, Asuka noticed his gaze from the doorway.

"What?" she asked, her tone still harsh.

"Did you have enough time to think?" asked Shinji, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Not your concern," said Asuka as she turned away from him. But it was his concern, considering it was relevant to him. Asuka wasn't about to tell Shinji this though.

Walking over to the couch, Shinji sat down, just as Asuka moved her feet out of the way. Grumbling about having to move, Asuka sat up, and glared over at Shinji.

"Are you angry at me for some reason?" asked Shinji.

"No," said Asuka.

'I'm angry at myself damn it!' she thought.

"Should I not have left last night?" asked Shinji.

"Like I said I'm not-huh?"

Returning her eyes to his, Asuka stared back at Shinji, confused by his sudden statement. That didn't bother her, at least, she didn't think it bothered her. She understood Shinji's reasoning behind why he hadn't stayed, but a part of her, did feel hurt by that. A small part of her felt like Shinji had rejected her in some way.

"Should I have stayed with you last night?" repeated Shinji.

"Whatever you did is your own decision, and it doesn't affect me," retorted Asuka.

"You were the one that suggested it," Shinji reminded her.

"And you decided to go along with it, and then backed out at the last minute."

"I know...I just didn't feel comfortable."

"Then how do you think I felt?" asked Asuka.

"Why did you suggest that then?" asked Shinji.

"I don't know damn it," swore Asuka, "I just..."

Asuka bit her lips, and looked away from him. Her emotions were like a hurricane now, all jumbled up without any sense being made. What did she want afterall?

Shinji let out a low sigh, and leaned his back against the armrest, sinking into the couch cushions as he closed eyes. He stretched his legs out as far as he dared go, with Asuka sitting on the other side of the couch. He was tired of all this bickering between them, and just wanted things to settle down for a while.

"What are you doing?" asked Asuka, confused by his sudden lack of interest.

Opening one eye, Shinji glanced across the couch at Asuka and said, "Resting."

"Resting?" spluttered Asuka. "What kind of a reply is that?"

Shinji didn't bother replying, but closed his eyes again. Asuka wasn't prepared to end the conversation like this however. Sitting up straighter, she crawled across the couch towards Shinji, and grabbed him by the shoulders. Shaking his shoulders, Asuka tried to rouse him, wanting to continue talking to him, even if it was an insignificant conversation as this. Try as she might however, Shinji wouldn't acknowledge her, even when Asuka began pounding her fist against his chest. He didn't give any sign that he was paying attention to her, or that he was even listening. Eventually, Asuka gave up, and lay collapsed atop him, her heading resting against his chest. It was only then that Shinji spoke.

"Are you done?" he asked.

Looking up towards him, Asuka blinked several times, unaware of there close proximity.

"Yeah," she mumbled softly.

"Are you going to get off me?" he asked.

"...No," said Asuka, speaking softly again. "I'm tired, so just let me rest like this for a little while. I'm comfortable now."

While Shinji had been unresponsive this entire time, his cheeks did turn red as Asuka said this. How did he end up with such a stubborn and idiotic girl? Well, he was an idiot as well he supposed.

"Okay," said Shinji as he nodded softly, his chin nearly brushing the top of Asuka's head. After he said this, Asuka's hands which were still clenched into fists, unfurled themselves, and were now placed palm down on Shinji's chest. Asuka's head rose and fell with the rhythm of Shinji's breathing, and almost unconsciously, Asuka matched her breathing to his, so that they were in sync.

"Hey Shinji?"

"Hmm?"

"I can hear your heart..."

As to a statement like that, Shinji didn't know what he could possibly reply with. Asuka was resting her head on his chest like it was usual. If somebody had told him this would happen a month ago, he would have laughed in their face.

"Shinji?"

"Yeah?"

"What should we do after this?"

"After this," replied Shinji. Immediately his face turned red, clearly misunderstanding Asuka's question.

"Yeah, after this winter season ends, and it becomes spring again. Should we continue to remain here in Tokyo-2, or find somewhere else to live. This house is nice and all, and it feels like our home now, but I feel something is missing. Maybe it's the city itself, but I think I wouldn't mind living someplace else."

"Like where?" asked Shinji.

"Not in another city I think," said Asuka. "A small town maybe, though within driving distance of a city if we had to."

"I'm sure we could fine something like that, but there's still a long while before winter ends."

"Yeah, but its just a thought."

"I guess," nodded Shinji.

Asuka smiled at that, before sitting up, removing herself from Shinji's chest. Stretching, she glanced around the room. She was feeling better now than she was earlier that morning, and her eyes even fell on her gift under the tree. Shinji saw that she was eyeing it however.

"How about you wait till after dinner now."

"Why? Shouldn't I open it now. Christmas is Christmas afterall."

"Think of it as something to look forward to while you prepare dinner."

"Oh shit! Thats right!" said Asuka, forgetting about what she had promised.

* * *

><p>Though it was barely even noon now, Asuka began making preparations for dinner. When Shinji asked her why she was starting so early, she just hissed at him, and told him to stop bothering her. It was apparent to Shinji that she wanted to put as much effort into this as possible, and she forbade him from even going near to the kitchen. So, he sat on the couch in the living room, continuing to read his book from yesterday, but found his attention was slipping. Setting his book down, he glanced towards the kitchen were Asuka was busying herself. He didn't know what she had in mind, but he would be lying if he said the anticipation was killing him. But bored was bored, and Shinji decided to take a walk outside.<p>

Calling to her from the living room, Shinji said, "I'm gonna take a walk."

Poking her head into the living room, Asuka was holding a spatula in one hand, and a pan in the other. Shinji grinned as he saw this, since it was very unlike Asuka to be having fun while cooking. Even when she did cook, she usually complained part of the time.

"Thats fine," said Asuka, after she scowled at him, wiping the grin off Shinji's face. "I won't be done for a while, and it's better for you to stay out of my way, incase you get the idea to take a peek in here."

Basically, Asuka was saying that she preferred Shinji out of the house while she was making preparations. She didn't want him getting any ideas.

"I wouldn't dream of it," said Shinji as he got up.

Asuka followed his movements, until he reached the door, and stepped outside. Returning to the kitchen, she glanced down at her workstation. She had already made a bit of a mess, but that was easy enough to clean up once dinner was over.

"Alright, time to get started," said Asuka as she rolled up her sleeves.

While Asuka was starting to prepare dinner for that night, Shinji walked aimlessly through their neighborhood. He had walked these road so many times, that his feet just naturally carried him forward, without his brain having to thinking about where he was headed. He took a left at the corner where he usually practiced with his AT-field, and started treading the familiar path from that week ago when he had found Asuka's present. Instead of walking down that street however, he continued forward, until he reached another intersection. Taking a right, he passed by a stop sign, and what looked like a playground. He paused as he saw this, wondering when the last time he had seen a playground, or even been to one. His feet gravitated towards it however, and he quickly felt the rough surface of bark under his feet.

He had memories of playing on a playground when he was younger, but he had been alone then. Whenever the other kids parents arrived, Shinji was always left alone, since both his parents had left him. He remembered those times, and how lonely he had been.

Passing the slide, and the jungle gym, he eventually found himself standing in front of the swing set. Gripping onto one of the swings, he sat down on it, and began to propel himself forward. How long it been since he did something like this? Not since he was seven probably he guessed. As he continued with the motions of propelling himself forward, he began to gather speed quickly, until he was high in the air. From here, he could see the tops of the surrounding houses, and feel the rush of air hitting his face. Reaching the maximum height, Shinji jumped off, throwing himself forward even more, surpassing the limits of a normal human body. If a child had seen him do something like that, they probably would have cheered, and then attempted to do the same thing. But Shinji was likely the only person who could do that.

Slamming down onto the ground, Shinji thought that his knees would buckle from the sudden impact, but he stood up, straightening himself. Letting out a low sigh, he glanced over to the swing set he had just been on, and then sat back down on it. He didn't swing forward however, and simply gripped onto the chains holding the swing in place. A melancholy like feeling filled him, as he remembered other unpleasant things from his childhood. But, it was astounding where his life had taken him he had to admit.

He wondered, where he would be if he had never come to Tokyo-3 on his dads orders. Would he be dead? Would he be just one of the billions of nameless souls that had died because of Third Impact. Where would Asuka be? Would she be dead as well? Shinji couldn't help but feel that their lives were twisted and entwined together in some form. So if one of them had never set foot in Tokyo-3, how would their lives have changed? The possibilities were endless, but those were ultimately part of the past. The present was where they existed currently, but what would their future look like?

They had made the decision to leave Tokyo-2 when the winter season ended, but even that seemed like a short term scenario. Shinji hadn't thought about it until then, but him and Asuka were together forever, until they died. Whether or not they desired this, it was forced upon them, as the apparent last humans alive on the earth. When they were in their forties, how would they look back on this time spent together? Would it seem all very ridiculous to them?

Shinji began to slowly rock backwards and forwards as he thought about these things. Three months was a long time to spend in the constant company of somebody, and Shinji had a hard time thinking about what the next year would even entail.

Standing up, he walked away from the swing set, and then looked up at the sky. The sky was still clear, even though the snow still covered the ground, and Shinji was tempted to begin throwing snowballs in the air again like he had done yesterday. It hadn't been very long since he had left the house, and Asuka, but he didn't think enough time had passed.

Leaving the playground, he stepped back onto the sidewalk, and continued walking further down the street. Again, he let his feet carry him wherever they pleased, but found his brain thinking about other things.

He had known Asuka for a longtime now, longer than anybody he had ever known before, unless you counted his father, and Shinji didn't. The feelings he got around her were hard to decipher, as he wasn't sure what he felt in the first place. Having never shared a bond with anybody before, Shinji wasn't sure what to think about this. He had to keep who he was in mind as well, the fact that he was anything but a normal human. Maybe he was afraid to take that next step because of this.

The knowledge of his abnormality was a constant suppressive when it came towards his feelings for Asuka, and whether tangible or not, was something he kept in mind. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do, and because of what he saw, made him suppress his feelings even more. But they were true, his feelings for her, and he couldn't get passed that. His mind battled with itself, endlessly debating and weighing the outcomes of given scenarios. Everything came back to whether or not he could control his other self.

Quiet suddenly, Shinji stopped in the middle of the street. He had acquired this power by some means, and whether he wanted it or not, he didn't have a choice. But why did he have it in the first place? Assuming it was some experiment with Nerv, that had turned him into this otherworldly being, why had they done such a thing? Was the reason his father had asked him to come to Tokyo-3 this. But why him specifically? Why couldn't it have been somebody else? Why couldn't he have just lead a normal life.

But would a normal life have led him to Asuka? Probably not, Shinji had to admit to himself. The concept of the AT-field wasn't anything new, as it had been something the Angels and Evangelions had easily used. All humans had an AT-field, the essence of who they were, or there soul, if you believe in such a thing. Having the ability to project his AT-field, was on par with the Angels and Evangelions, so did that make him like them?

A flash of orange erupted around Shinji, as he suddenly projected his AT-field upward, reaching for the heavens. He hated this power, this grotesque ability he had, along with the visions that accompanied it. But, without them, he may have never met Asuka. Without them, Shinji may have died when the building collapsed, and Asuka may have died if Shinji hadn't told her the vision he had had of her crash. He hated his power, but because of it, he had been able to prevent certain possibilities from happening. Whether he accepted himself, and learned to live with his abnormality, was ultimately his decision. As for his feelings of Asuka...

Shinji dissipated his AT-field, letting his arms fall to his side. As for his feelings of Asuka...he hoped that they weren't one sided.

With that thought, he turned around, and started walking back. He had wasted enough time now, so whether or not Asuka was done with preparations, was her problem now. If she didn't want him in the house, she would just have to deal with it.

Shinji hadn't actually realized how far he had walked, so when he finally returned to his neighborhood, it was with a gladdened heart. If nothing more, than to at least be able to see Asuka again.

Walking through the door, Shinji hung up his coat, and then turned towards the kitchen. Considering Asuka hadn't come to greet him, Shinji assumed that she was still focusing on something in the kitchen. Knowing how angry she'd be if he walked in, Shinji resolved to simply call her instead.

"I'm back," he announced.

A loud clatter sounded from the kitchen, as though something metallic had just fallen to the floor, after which was accompanied by a string of swear words.

"Asuka, are you okay?" asked Shinji, still standing by the front door, and wondering if he shouldn't just go in and investigate. Asuka's next words banished that thought from his mind.

"Don't you dare come in here or I'll smack you with this frying pan!" shouted Asuka, clearly flustered by Shinji's sudden reappearance.

"Glad to hear you're fine," said Shinji as he sat down on the couch.

"Quiet you!"

"Alright, I got it," sighed Shinji. "You don't have to shout."

"I'm not shouting!" said Asuka, doing the complete opposite of what she said.

Shinji remained on the couch, waiting until Asuka felt like entering the living room. When she finally did, Shinji could see she was still flustered over his sudden appearance.

"Sorry that I startled you," said Shinji.

"You did not," grumbled Asuka as she crossed her arms.

Asuka was standing by the couch, and looking down at Shinji. As Shinji glanced back at her however, he noticed some powdery white substance on her cheek. Standing up, he walked over to her, and because of this, Asuka got defensive.

"What," she asked, just as Shinji raised his hand, and brushed one of his fingers against her cheek. Rubbing the white substance between his index finger, and thumb, he determined that it was flour, judging by the texture.

"Something with flour," muttered to Shinji, more to himself than her.

He hadn't realized it, but when Shinji had done this simple action of brushing his finger against her cheek, Asuka's face had lit up like a Christmas light.

"Sh-Sh-Shinji!"

"Hmm?" he replied back, nonchalantly.

He now saw Asuka's fuming red face, both from embarrassment and anger, staring back at his. Realizing his mistake, he began to open his mouth to apologize, but Asuka didn't want to hear about it.

"Jeez, just forget it idiot," groaned Asuka as she turned around.

"Hold on, how much longer is it gonna take you to prepare dinner?"

"As long as I damn well please," said Asuka, her voice growing in annoyance.

"...Sorry," mumbled Shinji.

Asuka remained turned away from him, with her arms crossed, and her face still bright red. Well, he had said he was sorry.

"I'm actually done with preparations now," said Asuka rather quietly. Turning back around, she faced Shinji and continued, "So, dinner is more or less prepared now."

"...I see," said Shinji.

There were still several hours until then, unless they wanted to start now, when it wasn't even three in the afternoon yet. Not intending to do this however, Asuka walked passed Shinji, and sat down on the couch, stretching herself out.

"Ah, this feels good. I've been moving around so much these past two hours, that it feels nice to actually sit for a while."

Shinji hesitated for maybe a fraction of a second, before he joined her, sitting beside her. As he sat down, Asuka glanced at him, remembering earlier when she had been resting on his chest. Her cheeks changed colors briefly, but she ignored this thought for now. Grabbing the blanket that was in the middle of the couch, she curled herself in it, and titled slightly, so that she was resting on the arm of the couch. She thought about tilting instead to her right, where Shinji was, but currently, she didn't know whether her heart could take another strain. It was already faster than normal, with Shinji sitting beside her.

"Hey Asuka?"

"What?"

"I was wondering, do you think about our future much?"

"Why must you include 'our' as though it signifies both of us."

"Doesn't it?" questioned Shinji, but Asuka didn't reply. She was only making a snide comment afterall, and knew that 'our' was the proper way to suggest such a thing.

"Not a whole lot, but by future, what exactly do you mean?"

"Like...how things will be in five, or even twenty years."

"Thats far too long a time to be thinking ahead towards. I prefer to think about this moment right now. Why?"

"I'm just curious how we'll look back when we're older, to moments like these I suppose. To us, twenty years from now, this will probably seem insignificant."

"You think so?" wondered Asuka. She herself didn't think there was anything insignificant about moments like these, but she didn't say that. If anything, she felt that these moments were probably the most meaningful.

Sighing lightly, Asuka closed her eyes, much the same as Shinji had done earlier. It had been a longtime since she had worked this hard on something, so she felt like sleeping for a little while. Mentioning this to Shinji, he told her that he would wake her when it was time for dinner. Asuka could get a couple hours of sleep at least before then, and she intended on taking full advantage of that. Still, leaning against the armrest wasn't very comfortable.

Sitting up, she glanced over at Shinji, and then motioned for him to move closer to her. Raising his eyebrows slightly, Shinji still did what Asuka asked of him, and next second, had the body of that girl pressed against his.

"Umm...Asuka?"

"This is more comfortable for me, and you should be thankful that I'm the one that made dinner."

"Yeah but, I can't really move with you leaning against me."

"Then don't," said Asuka simply, before she slowly fell asleep.

Amazed that Asuka could be so easygoing about this, Shinji didn't have many options but to sit there calmly as Asuka slept against him. This had already happened once before, but for some reason, Shinji felt more aware of Asuka's presence beside him this time. Maybe it was because her presence was stronger, because he could feel her AT-field, but it was probably more than just that.

Grabbing his book that he had placed off to the side, he continued reading, aware of the tired girl sleeping against him.

* * *

><p>It was shortly after the sun had set, that Shinji roused Asuka. It took him several minutes to do this, because she didn't seem to want to wake up. Though Shinji suspected that she was awake after the first few times he gently shook her, and called her name, she refused to move. It was only after he placed the palm of his hand against her forehead, that she moved. Sitting upright, and clearly awake, Asuka glared back at Shinji, displeased about the manner in which he had gotten her attention.<p>

"It's time for dinner," Shinji stated.

"I know," groaned Asuka, apparently not wanting to move from the couch. Though after Shinji stood up, and Asuka lost the pillow she was using, she was forced to move.

Asuka entered the kitchen first, and told Shinji to stay in the living room. Shinji heard the backdoor open and close several times as Asuka walked back and forth from the kitchen to the grill outside. After a while of this, Asuka finally called Shinji into the dining room.

The plates and silverware were already laid out, and two candles were lit, placed in the middle of the table. Choosing his place to sit, Shinji looked around at the atmosphere, impressed by Asuka's dedication.

Several more minutes went by, before Asuka entered the living room, carrying something in her hand. Placing it on the table in front of Shinji, he looked down at the tomato soup she had placed in front of him. Just at a quick glance, Shinji could tell that this wasn't one of their canned goods, so Asuka must have made it from scratch. It was maybe a little thicker than he expected, but he wasn't going to complain.

"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Shinji.

"After I've served everything, I will," came her reply.

After Shinji was finished with his soup, Asuka then brought out two pots. The first contained entirely white rice, while the second contained some sort of sauce that was made to be eaten alongside the rice. Dolling some of this onto his plate, Shinji had just finished when Asuka brought out another pot, this one containing a mixture of vegetables. Shinji didn't think they had ever made so much food before, and hoped that Asuka had kept in mind that it was only them two when she was cooking.

The last dish that Asuka brought out, was the largest of the lot. She was carrying a giant pot, with mittens on either of her hands, and set it down in the middle of the table.

"Is this everything?" asked Shinji, surprised by the amount of food.

"What, did you want more?" asked Asuka, misunderstanding his tone.

"No...I'm just impressed that you could get all this ready."

Asuka paused as he complimented her, but tried not to show how much she appreciated it. Removing the lid from the pot, a savory smell began to fill the dining room. It was a stew of sorts, although Shinji couldn't quite place the smell.

"Its a German stew, though obviously without the meat. I toyed with the idea of adding the spam, but felt that it might detract from the whole thing."

"It looks delicious," answered Shinji wholeheartedly. This time, Asuka did blush. As she returned to the kitchen however, Shinji called out to her, considering she had said that was everything.

"Wasn't that it? If you don't start now, everything is going to get cold."

"One second," replied Asuka.

From the kitchen, the sound of the side door opening could be heard, and before it had even closed, the sound of Asuka's feet returned was announced. When she came back into the dining room, she was holding something that Shinji had not expected to see again. It was a bottle of white wine, alcohol, in other words. The last time they had tried wine, neither of them had enjoyed it, so Shinji was surprised that Asuka would try this again.

"I kept it outside in the snow to help chill it," explained Asuka.

"But last time we both hated it, so what makes this time any different?"

"Honestly, it's more for the atmosphere than anything. This is Christmas afterall, so we should celebrate a bit."

While Shinji understood this, he still was unsure about actually trying alcohol again.

Asuka sat down across from Shinji, with the candles separating them, and started adding things to her plate. The dining table had never had so much food place upon it, and Shinji could almost hear the wood audibly groaning from the sudden weight.

Popping open the bottle of wine, Asuka raised her glass and took a small sip. Shinji thought that her reaction would be similar to before, but surprisingly, her face didn't turn sour.

"Its not bad actually," said Asuka, as she glanced at the bottle. "Maybe the bottle I got before was just cheap. This bottle would have been twenty dollars, so I assumed something that expensive, probably wouldn't be cheap."

Taking the wine from Asuka, Shinji poured himself a glass as well, partaking in the wine. He had to admit, that it wasn't bad compared to the previous bottle, but he didn't think he could get used to the taste. Maybe he just didn't like alcohol.

They continued talking happily, as they ate and drank, passing the evening away slowly. Asuka had made just enough for them, that they could have seconds if they wanted, and Shinji wasn't hesitant to take seconds, making Asuka rather happy. She had put a lot of time and effort into this, and was glad that Shinji was enjoying himself.

Slowly, the food around them began to disappear, until they had wiped their plates clean. Shinji hadn't felt this satisfied in a while. It wasn't like they had a lack of food, but neither did they cook anything extravagant, if this could be considered extravagant. Considering that Asuka had made all this as well, was just an added bonus in Shinji's opinion. Though admittedly, he would have liked to have seen Asuka in the process of making all this, but maybe that was the entire reason she hadn't wanted him there to watch her. It may have been too stressful her.

There was one thing that was bothering him however. The dinner hadn't consisted of anything flour based, and Shinji knew that it had been flour on Asuka's cheek. So what had she been doing with flour then?

"Hey Asuka?"

"Can you be quiet for a while. I'm too relaxed."

"You haven't had too much wine, have you?"

"No, I'm sober. But, I think I forgot what dinner was really like. What did you want?"

"I was just wondering, about the flour, why there was some on your cheek?"

Groaning slightly, Asuka said, "Did you really have to bring that up?"

"Why?"

Asuka frowned slightly, wondering whether she should just show Shinji. She had made a failed attempt at something, and wasn't very pleased with the outcome. It wasn't for lack of experience, but more of the proper ingredients. Still, she had tried, but it hadn't turned out like she hoped.

"Fine. If you want to see, I'll show you I guess."

Standing up, Asuka led Shinji into the kitchen. Shinji knew that it was probably messy in there, but his expectations were blown away. Asuka had kept the place fairly tidy, and while their were several cans off to the side, and several bowls which obviously needing washing, the counter itself wasn't bad. Looking down at the floor however, Shinji noticed that there was flour on the floor for some reason. Glancing questioningly over at Asuka, she simply let out a sigh.

"Though it may sound stupid, I tried making chocolate chip cookies, though the end result wasn't desirable. When you returned to the house, I was trying to decide how to overcome the lack of eggs and butter, and thats when you called out to me; I knocked over a mixing bowl that had flour in it. Course, I clean most of it up, but there's still some left on the floor."

"So that explains the spot of flour on your cheek."

"Like a said, it was stupid. I eventually just gave up, and threw the lot of it away."

"Well, it was an interesting and thoughtful idea, not to mention I can't imagine you making cookies," said Shinji.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Asuka fired back at him, but she was more embarrassed then anything. "Anyway," she continued, "I suppose I should start cleaning up."

"Okay, I'll help."

"I'm the one that made dinner, and this mess, so I'll deal with the aftermath."

"You help me clean up sometimes," Shinji reminded her.

"...Fine. Go get the dishes from the dining room and bring them over."

Shinji did as Asuka told him. It was a different feeling, being told what to do by Asuka in this scenario. Usually, it was him that asked her to get this and that for him, as he washed the dishes. Asuka seemed to be enjoying herself however as she bossed Shinji around.

As the dishes were almost done, Shinji let Asuka finish the last few, and walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. It had been a tumultuous kind of day, and Shinji had enjoyed himself. But, there was something still left to take care of.

Asuka seemed to have a similar idea, because after she was done in the kitchen, she rushed into the living room, and sat down on the couch beside Shinji. She didn't look at him, but was staring at her present still under the Christmas tree. Shinji thought that she had forgotten about it, what with the excitement of diner, and the actual preparation of it, but it seemed he was wrong. Glancing over at Asuka, he saw that she was smiling slightly. Well, that was to be expected he supposed.

"You can open it you know," Shinji told her.

"I know," she replied. "But, I feel nervous for some reason."

"How could you feel nervous?"

"Because you got it for me of course," said Asuka.

Shinji's ears turned red at her statement, but he simply said, "Just open it already."

Asuka didn't need to be told twice. Springing off the couch, she landed beside the tree, and grabbed the package out from underneath it. She stared at it for several seconds, looking at her own name, messily written on the wrapping paper. Shinji's handwriting was terrible, but she felt like that was almost assumed. Tearing through the wrapping paper, her mind ran through multiple objects that existed in this world that had a similar shape, but couldn't match anything with the object in her hand that she thought Shinji would get her. As she pulled the last of the wrapping paper off, she stared at the rectangular box held in her hand.

"Its inside of that," said Shinji from the couch. "If I had wrapped it as it was, it would have been too obvious."

Asuka hardly paid him any attention, as she tugged at the corner of the cardboard, attempting to rip it off. Shinji almost expected her to start biting at it, but she eventually did open it. Inside, was several crumpled bits of wrapping paper, failed attempts by Shinji of wrapping it initially. Pulling these out of the way, Asuka looked inside the box, spotting a small object resting in the far back corner. Turning the box upside down, the object fell out into the palm of her hand. It was a grey, square box, with a hinge on its side, and presumably, something inside of it. Knowing the sort of object that was likely inside, Asuka could only turn towards Shinji with a questioning look in her eyes. Shinji didn't say anything, but simply nodded back at her, and Asuka slowly opened the box.

A silver chained necklace rested on white velvet inside the box, and in the center of the necklace, was a blue gemstone, the color of ocean blue. Picking it up, Asuka held the necklace at her eye level, to get a better look at it. It had a certain shine to, like that you see of the sun reflecting off the ocean surface in the evening.

"...Shinji..." mumbled Asuka, incredibly quiet.

"When I saw that gem in the center, it reminded me of your own eyes, so I decided to get it. Like I said, it was a feeling that I just got."

At his words, Asuka's head wiped around to face him. Her face was passive, so Shinji couldn't tell what her reaction was. He hoped that she wasn't angry at him, for getting her a necklace. It wasn't something that was necessarily useful, but all the same, Shinji was rather proud with himself for finding something like that. He sometimes thought about what would have happened if he hadn't decided to enter that house after his vision.

"Asuka?" asked Shinji. "Do you like it?"

Again, Asuka didn't reply to him, but just kept staring at him. Shinji was starting to get worried that she was in fact angry with him, and began to open his mouth to say something, when Asuka slowly began walking over to him. As she did this, Shinji thought he saw a small smile pass over Asuka's face, before she fell into his arms. Shinji hardly had any time to prepare himself as Asuka did this, but next second, her entire body's weight was being pressed against him, and her arms were enveloped around his back. Being as he was still sitting on the couch, this was a rather awkward position.

"Asuka-"

"Thank you," whispered Asuka, directly into his ear. Her head was resting on his shoulder, so she only had to turn slightly to say this to him.

"Thank you," she whispered again.

Never before had Shinji been so aware of Asuka's presence as he was then. The warmth of her body being pressed against his, her legs intertwined with his, the feel of her hands on his back. All these things stimulated Shinji to an extent where he wasn't sure whether he could control himself. Whether Asuka noticed any of this, she didn't say, as she continued hugging him.

"I don't think I've ever received something so beautiful," mumbled Asuka with a low sigh.

"...I'm glad you like it," said Shinji, finding his voice. Asuka's breath was tickling his ear, and whether she was doing this on purpose or not, Shinji wasn't sure how much more he could take of this. Asuka leaned back from him however at this point, but was still pressing her body against his, as she looked up at him. Even her face was pink, as she glanced up at Shinji, their faces only inches apart. Shinji didn't know what was about to happen, or if it would happen, but-

Quiet suddenly, he felt the warmth from Asuka disappear, as she moved off him. She was now standing in front of him, with her hand outstretched, offering it to him. Confused by this, Shinji took Asuka's hands, and was pulled to his feet.

"Here, clasp it for me," said Asuka.

So this is what she wanted, realized Shinji. Taking the necklace from her, Shinji glanced down at it, not imagining that he would be doing something like this when he first found it. Parting her hair, Asuka gave Shinji a clear few of the nape of her neck. Trying not to think too much about her smooth skin, Shinji brought his arms around on either side of her, and held the necklace up against her neck, being careful to not bump into anything. With her hair still parted, Shinji was easily able to hook the chain together, and then let go of it.

"How does it look?" asked Asuka as she turned around to face him.

The stone glimmered even in the dark, or maybe that was the fireplace reflected off it. Either way, it had the same shine as Asuka's eyes did sometimes.

"It looks good," said Shinji.

"Is that all you can say?" sighed Asuka.

Shinji didn't reply, but simply smirked at her, and Asuka returned that in a like manner. Again though, she approached him, and hugged him. Shinji wasn't as surprised by this as he was the previous time, and therefore wasn't as embarrassed. Likewise, he brought his arms around her back, and hugged her as well. They shared this moment together, hugging in the middle of their living room, with the light of the fireplace illuminating them.

Slowly, they separated from each other, both looking rather embarrassed by all this sudden close contact with each other.

"Thank you Shinji," Asuka repeated again.

"You've already said that twice."

"I know that. But still, I feel like I should. I didn't even get you anything, and yet you-"

"You made dinner."

"But you got me this," Asuka replied.

"Yeah, well, it took a long time afterall," Shinji said.

"It was worth it," mumbled Asuka.

Still feeling embarrassed, they looked away from each other, unsure what to say to each other now. What could they say after that?

"What now?" voiced Shinji.

"I don't know," said Asuka as she shook her head. "Don't you usually practice about now?"

"...I don't have to do it today. It's Christmas after all."

"Then what? It may be Christmas, but the day is fast ending."

"We could just stay here for the time being," said Shinji, glancing back towards the couch.

"I suppose," said Asuka.

Sitting on the couch again, they wrapped themselves in a blanket, but weren't sitting directly next to each other. They were close enough to touch each other, but they didn't. Both were wondering about what had just occurred, but were afraid to voice how they felt.

They continued like this, talking occasionally but mostly keeping to themselves, until Shinji stood up.

"I think the day is coming to a close," he said.

Asuka nodded, but didn't say anything. She was still deep in her own thoughts.

"Well...I'm going to bed. Night Asuka."

As Shinji began to leave however, Asuka stood up to stop him.

"Wait..."

Stopping on the bottom stair, Shinji turned around to see Asuka walking towards him.

"I'm going to bed as well I think, but I don't want to be wearing this while I sleep. Can you help me get it off. I can't remember the last time I ever wore a necklace, so unclasping it is a little..."

Shinji understood, and helped Asuka with this. Handing the necklace over to her, Asuka placed it in its case, and the stuffed it in her pocket. Together, they walked up the stairs, Shinji in the lead, and Asuka following him. When they reached the second landing, Shinji walked to his bedroom door, and Asuka passed him, walking to her own room. Entering her room, she walked over to her bed, and removed the case from her pocket, and placed it on the nightstand. She stared at it for several seconds, before she removed her shirt and pants, and threw on something more comfortable for sleeping.

As she was about to get in bed however, she stopped. Was this what she wanted right now? No, it wasn't.

Turning around, she walked back to her bedroom door and opened it, but was surprised to see Shinji standing just beyond it. He was standing there in a short sleeve shirt and shorts, clearly dressed for bed, but quite obviously, not in his own room

"Shinji?" asked Asuka quietly.

"...If you're okay with it-" he began, but Asuka cut him off.

"Don't say anything else; I don't want to hear it."

Turning away from him, Asuka returned to her own bed, and crawled under the covers. Instead of moving to one side of the bed however, she remained in the middle. It took Shinji several seconds after Asuka had already climbed in bed, for him to follow her lead. Slowly, he walked to the opposite side of the bed, and crawled in. He was unsure whether to move closer to Asuka or not, but felt his skip a beat when he heard her speak.

"Hey Shinji, turn this way for a moment."

Shinji did so, and was greeted by Asuka's face filling his entire vision. She had a small smile on her face, and had moved closer to him so that she was directly beside him.

"Asuka?" asked Shinji, hesitantly.

Asuka didn't immediately reply; she was too absorbed in this moment to feel like replying immediately. This warmth was relaxing in a way that even the dinner she had made didn't compare. Whether it was the comfort, or the feeling of being close, Asuka didn't want these things to stop.

"Goodnight Shinji," said Asuka, as she closed her eyes, while still facing him, and began drifting off to sleep.

Shinji didn't reply for a longtime, until Asuka had already fallen asleep, and was content to just watch her sleep for a while.

"Goodnight Asuka," he eventually said, as he closed his eyes, the last thing he remembered being Asuka's peaceful sleeping face, as he himself fell asleep beside her.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, here we go. First off, I'd like to thank everybody that stuck with me over this month of updates. It has been a roller coaster of a ride, and honestly I need to take a break for a bit. I've been putting off some of the other stuff that I've been writing, and am ready to continue working on that. I'll continue updating, of course, so hopefully we'll see another update sometime next month. On to other stuff.<strong>

**Two of Us is of course a direct sequel to Spawn of Adam, and I've tried to take this story on a similar path to the first nineteen chapters of Spawn of Adam. The eighteenth and nineteenth chapter of SoA, was a turning point in the story, because Shinji and Asuka were on the verge of accepting their feelings for each other, but then Asuka's memories of Shinji were destroyed in the twenty-first chapter. As we continue Two of Us, we are going to see what would have happened if those memories hadn't been destroyed.**

**Continuing on, Two of Us has so far had two arcs, and the second is just wrapping up. We had the beginning of Shinji and Asuka's interactions with each other, from learning about their connection with Nerv, and discovering more about each other, and the world they live in. The second half, was of course largely focused on Shinji's beginning to understand his AT-field, and who he was in general, while also beginning to slowly develop the romantic relationship between them. The third arc, will be focusing on their relationship even more, and eventually move into the second half of this story. Yes, we're almost to the halfway mark. The next chapter will pick up again, during the last few days of February, as the winter season begins to disappear.**

**This chapter in particular, was really enjoyable to write, as I called back certain things that happened in the chapters Small Steps, and Continuation, from SoA. I always considered those two chapters to be sort of a bundle, and I think I actually split those two chapters up when I was writing them. The necklace that Shinji gave Asuka, was a reference to the earrings he had gotten her before. I debated for a while what the necklace should actually be, and at one point thought to just have it be a single dolphin, the same as that from Continuation. A bit cliched, so I decided to just go with the blue gemstone we see here, which is ultimately what the dolphin earrings were about.**

**Anyways, I've been talking for far too long, so I'm gonna end this extremely long authors note at that. Till next time.**


	19. Onward

**Right, well lets see if I remember how this works. Seven months? Or is it eight now? Well, nothing since December either way, but here I am updating, with not one, but two chapter today. I've got tons to say, but I'll leave all that till the end of the other chapter. And no, I'm not abandoning this.**

* * *

><p>As the morning sun rose, Asuka slowly opened her eyes. Naturally, her gaze immediately locked onto the young boy sleeping beside her, his breath tickling her nose. Fighting against the urge to pinch his noes closed, Asuka slowly sat up, and crawled out of the bed that was shared between them. She didn't know how many times she had woken up like this, but it was certainly passed double digits at this point. Sighing lightly, she crawled out of bed, being careful not to wake him.<p>

Two months had passed since that Christmas day, and it was now late February. The snow had long since thawed, and even the rain had slowly begun to subside. In other words, spring was slowly approaching. They had both agreed that once the season changed, there would no longer be any reason to remain in that house. This time was fast approaching.

Still, in the two months since Christmas, their relationship hadn't changed much. Though they occasionally slept together, nothing else had happened. During the nights that were particularly cold in January, this happened more often than not, but as the winter season began to wind down, it was a less common occurrence. Last night however, well, Asuka wasn't particularly cold, but she just wanted the comfort of Shinji beside her. She wasn't oblivious to her feelings, but neither did she voice them; Shinji was in a similar boat it seemed.

After crawling out of her bed, Asuka walked into the adjacent bathroom. There was never any order to which room they slept in, as sometimes it was Shinji's, and sometimes it was hers. If she was honest, she preferred her own, more for the larger bed space than anything. Having an adjacent bathroom didn't hurt either though.

Standing in front of the mirror, Asuka grabbed a nearby bottle of water, and used its contents to wake herself further. Drying her face off, she then looked back at her own reflection in the mirror. Two months had gone by, but it was hard to tell whether she had changed at all. Maybe she was taller, but again, how was one to tell whether oneself had grown in a certain period of time by simply looking at a reflection? Well, maybe Shinji could tell whether she had grown at all, since Asuka had noticed Shinji was slightly taller now. They noticed things about each other, but not about themselves.

Continuing to wake herself up, Asuka brushed her teeth, and then changed into something more suitable then what she had been sleeping in. Sometimes, she still wondered how she was able to sleep beside Shinji, when she was dressed in only a shirt and shorts, but she had gradually stopped caring she supposed.

Leaving the bathroom, she glanced over at Shinji who was still sleeping soundly. It had been a while since Asuka was the first to awake, so she decided that she'd make breakfast for the hell of it. Shinji needed a break every once in a while.

Shinji had changed since Christmas. He had come to terms with his AT-field, along with his unusual powers. He was calmer, and less prone to getting angry for no reason. He had reached a level of proficiency with his AT-field, where he didn't need to practice with it anymore. He hadn't used it for more than a month, but Asuka knew that being able to control it easily was a huge burden off Shinji's shoulders. If he was required to use it for some reason, it wouldn't become a problem.

Walking downstairs, Asuka stopped her feet as she reached the bottom of the stairs. This house had become their home in the short time that they were living here, and Asuka couldn't help but feel somewhat sad that they would be leaving it soon. She had pleasant memories here afterall. As she thought this, she placed her palm against her chest, feeling the necklace underneath her shirt. Though it had felt awkward at first, Asuka now kept the necklace that Shinji had given her with her at nearly every moment of a given day. Even now, she still had difficulty expressing her feelings over receiving such a gift. Shinji didn't seem to mind though.

Entering the kitchen, she started preparing breakfast. They still had some leftovers from dinner the night before, so Asuka largely made use of this. Waste not, want not, she supposed. After she finished, she sat down at the dining room table, and began eating, just as she heard movement from the floor above; it seemed Shinji was finally waking up. Moments later, she saw his groggy face plodding downstairs, still clad in his sleepwear.

"You're up early," said Shinji as he reached the bottom of the stairs, and walked over to her.

"I can get up early if I want," shrugged Asuka.

"Well, thank you for making breakfast."

"I really didn't do much, since most of it is leftovers from last nights dinner."

"...Still," started Shinji, as he sat down beside her briefly.

"What?" asked Asuka, seeing the unusual expression on Shinji's face.

"...No, never mind," said Shinji as he stood up to get his own plate.

"Shinji?" asked Asuka, her voice slightly low. Whenever her tone changed like this, Shinji knew that there was no point in trying to avoid the topic. He had learned this from past experience.

"I guess I was just thinking," said Shinji from the kitchen, "when we should start packing things up."

"Meaning?" asked Asuka.

Walking back into the dining room, Shinji sat down beside Asuka, and paused before eating.

"I mean, that we should start thinking about leaving here. We did say that afterall back in December."

"...Yeah," mumbled Asuka, her prior tone gone.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic," commented Shinji.

"Can you blame me? We've lived here for so long now, that this became our home for a short time. It almost felt...normal I suppose. So leaving it suddenly feels..."

"But you still want to?"

"Of course I do," sighed Asuka. "But right now is a little..."

A little what? Was Asuka having second thoughts now that it had come to this moment? No, she didn't think so, but certainly this house had changed things for her. She was aware of certain things that she hadn't known before. What would happen when they left? Would those things change? Would her feelings change? This place was more of a home to her than any place before now, the home that she shared with Shinji. Thinking about this, a brief blush appeared on her face, which didn't go unnoticed by Shinji.

"You okay?" asked Shinji in question to the blush that had appeared on her cheeks.

"I'm fine," grumbled Asuka as she stood up suddenly, taking her plate with her. Shinji didn't say anything in reply to this. During these past two months, Shinji had seen this expression from her a multitude of times, mainly when they woke up in the morning. Well, he wasn't exempt from that embarrassment either, he supposed. Sleeping in the same bed as Asuka still felt awkward at times, even though it had already happened many times.

Together, they rinsed the dishes they used, and placed them back on the cabinet shelf. Asuka had become much more willing to assist Shinji in daily chores such as these, and even enjoyed herself during these times. Initially, they wanted to have time to themselves occasionally, but that wasn't as common anymore. Before they realized it, they had begun to spend more time with each other, if that was even possible, given their current situation.

"So...Shinji?" Asuka suddenly spoke as started drying off a plate.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"Have you thought about where we should be headed at least?"

"Well, no, I haven't," answered Shinji truthfully. He had two months to think about this, but back then, it had seemed like an infinite amount of time. They said that they'd leave, but where would they go exactly? Shinji didn't have anything in mind, and he didn't think Asuka did either.

"Don't you think we should have somewhat of an idea where we're headed?" asked Asuka.

"I thought you said you didn't want to think about this right now?"

"Thinking about it is fine: we don't have to leave this instant after all. Still, before I pick up and move everything here to an entirely different location, I'd like to have semblance of where we're going."

"I guess you have a point," nodded Shinji.

"Do you still have that map you found when we initially came to Tokyo-2?" asked Asuka.

"...Maybe," said Shinji after a brief pause. "If so, it'd probably be stashed inside my closet or something."

"Go find it then. I'll finish up here," said Asuka.

So, responding to Asuka's wishes, Shinji let her finish washing the dishes, and began walking upstairs to his room. It had been a long time since he had thought about that map he had found those many months ago, but he supposed it was a good thing he had decided to keep it.

Entering his room, he opened his closet door and began rummaging around, looking for the map of Tokyo-2 and Japan. His closet was filled with things that he hadn't thought of in a while. The camping backpack that he had carried from Tokyo-3 to here, was tucked away in a corner, along with the sleeping bag which he had spent many nights in. The top shelf had a layer of dust coating the top, but Shinji found the map in a far back corner, underneath several old books. Pulling the map out, he unfolded it, and looked briefly at it, before tucking it under his arm, and walked back downstairs.

As he entered the kitchen, Asuka had just finished washing the dishes, and was drying her hand on a towel.

"That didn't take long," commented Asuka.

Taking the map from Shinji, she walked passed him, and spread it out on the kitchen table, so they could look at it together. One side of the map showed a detailed map of Tokyo-2, while the other showed the entirety of Japan. Because of Second Impact, the sea levels had risen drastically, making most of the coastal cities submerged in water, meaning that they would be going further inland.

"So where should we go?" asked Shinji.

"You're the one who's Japanese, so you should have some idea about your own nation."

"Geography wasn't something I ever paid attention to in school."

Even though he said this, he still stared at the map for nearly a minute. It was obvious that they would be going inland further. Most of Japan's largest cities were all coastal, and the majority of those had disappeared because of Second Impact, so Tokyo-2 and Tokyo-3 were the largest currently. Further inland, though, there wasn't much to speak of either. There were small towns, but most people had moved to Tokyo-2 and Tokyo-3, which were considered the commercially friendly.

"Well, have you made a decision?" asked Asuka.

"No, but I imagine if we move further inland, we'll find something eventually."

"Thats not a very reassuring notion," groaned Asuka. "What about food and water? If we stay someplace that has a limited supply of those essentials, I don't see much of a reason to stay in said area."

"So you would rather stay here?"

"I already said how I felt on that matter, though granted, we could live here much longer because of the near infinite supply of canned food. A change of scenery wouldn't hurt though."

"Honestly, I just feel like picking a direction and driving that way," said Shinji.

"Good thing there's two of us then, because I won't allow us to leave without some sense of where we're headed."

"When did you become so worried about such things?" wondered Shinji.

Shrugging, Asuka said, "I've had plenty of time to think about where I want my life to go."

She didn't say anything else on the subject, and simply left Shinji hanging on her words. Leaving the dining room, Asuka walked into the living room and sat down on the couch in front of the fire which was roaring. Shinji followed her after several moments, and naturally sat beside her. There was one point when this would have felt unnatural to them, but now the complete opposite was true. In fact, Asuka very slowly began to lean against Shinji, using his body as something similar to a support beam. Shinji didn't complain like he might have done in the past, but accepted what Asuka was doing. Bodily contact between them was much more open than it had once been, and this was largely attributed to the fact that they slept in the same bed occasionally.

"Did you not sleep well or something?" asked Shinji.

"No, I slept fine," mumbled Asuka, her body pressed against Shinji's. "This is more comfortable then sitting upright though."

"I see," sighed Shinji.

"Does this bother you?"

'Rather than bother me, I think its the opposite,' thought Shinji, but he wasn't about to say that to Asuka.

"No," he instead said simply.

"I was gonna say, if this bothers you, how is it that we can sleep beside each other and be fine."

Asuka's face flushed briefly as she said this, but it passed quickly. It was always strange voicing the fact that they slept together on certain occasions, but she had mostly gotten over that embarrassment. Not just her own life, but Shinji's as well had changed so much in the time that they knew each other.

Shinji's reaction was similar to Asuka's in regards to what she had said, except that he rather embarrassingly pushed her away after she said this.

"What?" replied Asuka, annoyed that the person she had been leaning against was no longer willing to allow that.

"Nothing," said Shinji, though he wasn't looking at Asuka. In turn, she raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, and instead sank into the couch cushions with her arms crossed. Asuka enjoyed teasing Shinji, but occasionally, he did retaliate back.

Standing up suddenly, Asuka was momentarily caught of guard as Shinji did this. At first she thought that Shinji was angry at her, though for what, she had no idea. Slowly though, she began to realize that she was wrong in her initial assumption.

"What are you doing?" asked Asuka.

"I think I'm going to start packing," shrugged Shinji.

"Right now?" wondered Asuka, "isn't that a little premature?"

"Better to get it over now than later," shrugged Shinji. "Besides, it isn't like there's anything better to do, and I don't really feel like lazing around forever."

"If you say so," sighed Asuka.

"Are you going to start, or put it off for later?"

"Do you really need to ask that?" replied Asuka.

Shinji supposed that she had a point. Either way though, they would be leaving eventually, so packing everything away was something that would definitely happen. Shinji was like Asuka, in that he had come to call this house home in the time that they lived together in it. Even though he thought that, he couldn't explain it, but he felt eager in the prospect of moving on. It wasn't simply about leaving Tokyo-2 either, or moving past the idea of his AT-field, which he had already done afterall. It had more to do with his and Asuka's growing relationship. Currently, it almost felt like they were simply roommates who shared a house. Maybe that wasn't exactly true, but it felt along those lines at least. By moving into a different town, with different streets, different houses, and a new place to call home, Shinji felt that they were taking another step in their relationship, if it could be called that at this point. Did Shinji have a relationship with Asuka? Relationship was a rather vague word afterall, as it could mean a multitude of different things. In regards to that certain aspect of the term relationship, Shinji sometimes felt it was true, and then other times was unsure.

Walking up the flight of stairs, he entered his bedroom, and sat down on his bed. He had slept in here for more than two months, and would be lying if he said he wasn't going to miss this. Well, humans adapted to their environments, so he would grow used to the next place as well.

Standing up, he walked to his closet door and opened it. He had several jackets hanging here, but most of these were seldom worn, as the ones by the front door were his preferred favorites. The reason he opened this, was of course because of something he had tucked away in the back corner. Grabbing the shoulder straps of the object, he withdrew the backpack that he had brought from Tokyo-3, all the way to here. It was one of the many things that he had carried in his journey with Asuka, along with the sleeping bag which was still attached to the back of it.

Unzipping it, a musty smell arose from inside the confines of the backpack which hadn't been used in months. Shinji decided to let it air out before he starting packing his belongings away. Still, besides that, there was several other things which he needed to prepare.

Leaving his bedroom, he went back downstairs, but was stopped by Asuka.

"Already done packing?" she asked.

"No. My backpack needs to air out for a while, but I figured there was something else I could do in the meantime. I'm assuming that we'll be bringing the tent with us anyway."

"Oh," said Asuka. She had admittedly forgotten about the tent, but now that Shinji mentioned it, it probably was a good idea to bring it. Japan wasn't a large island, and wouldn't take very long to drive from one side to the other, but just in case, it was smart to have a place to sleep.

"I suppose we should," agreed Asuka.

How long had it been since they had last used the tent? On the grassy lawn of the park within Tokyo-2 was the last time, and that was over two an a half months ago now. Shinji hadn't thought about the tent in a long time, but was glad that they had kept it.

Opening the side door to the garage, Shinji dug around in the back of the garage, searching for the tent while Asuka watched from behind. For Asuka, the fact that shinji was searching for the tent had a certain finality towards there current living environment. They would be moving on.

"Find it yet?" asked Asuka.

"I think so," replied Shinji, his voice coming from far back in the garage. Why they placed it so far back in a corner, Shinji didn't know.

Returning to Asuka, he was carrying the folded up tent on his shoulder, and the pegs required to fasten it to the ground.

"Is this everything?" asked Asuka.

"From what I remember," nodded Shinji.

Storing it in the back of the station wagon for now, they returned to the house, and more importantly, the warmth that was coming from the living room fire. It was almost the end of February, so spring was around the corner, but it was still cold out.

"Are you going to begin packing now?" asked Asuka.

"No, I'll do that tonight I suppose," shrugged Shinji. He wasn't putting it off, as he knew they'd be leaving eventually, but he didn't feel like it now that he was in the midst of it.

"What about yourself?"

"Same, I guess," said Asuka as she shifted her position, getting more comfortable on the couch.

They sank into their daily routine as they were want to do and let the day go by slowly until dinner approached. They still had plenty of food within the house, and even more was still in the grocery store they frequented. When they left, they agreed that they would stock up on as many supplies as possible. They were unsure how long it would take them to find a new home, so until then, they wanted enough food to live on. Be that as it may, Shinji wasn't stingy on dinner that night, and cooked a large dinner, which could very well be the last dinner they would have in that house.

They were silent as the ate, both deep within their own thoughts. Whether it was remembering the past two an a half months that they spent in Tokyo-2, and the significant moments that they had shared together, both of them were conjuring up memories from those times.

After dinner, Shinji washed the dishes with help from Asuka. Night had already fallen at this point, and he had decided that now was as good a time as any to begin packing. Though he mentioned this to Asuka, he was surprised to hear her sigh and agree to this sentiment. Apparently, she had made the conscious decision to begin as well.

Marching up stairs, they began going through their respective rooms and sorting through everything they had collected. The backpacks and sleeping bags were a given, these which they had carried all the way from Tokyo-3 to Tokyo-2, and now beyond. Besides these, they found many other things that they had kept. The plastic utensils seemed pointless now, since they had actual silverware now, so they neglected to bring these along. Whenever one person found something else that they had forgotten about, they would tell the other person. It was this that brought Asuka into Shinji's room in the middle of packing.

"Almost done?" asked Asuka as she leaned against the doorframe, slightly startling Shinji who had been focusing on what he was doing.

"Doesn't feel like it," he replied. "Granted, you probably have more things than I do to begin with."

"True," shrugged Asuka.

Walking further into Shinji's room, she sat down on his bed beside him, which was strewn with clothes and objects he had picked up during their travel.

"What's up?" asked Shinji.

"I found something while I was going through some of my dresser drawers."

Handing it to him, Shinji immediately recognized the piece of paper they had found while at the capital building back in December. It was the information they had found with relevance to when Tokyo-3 was destroyed, and Third Impact likely manifested.

"I hadn't thought about that in a long time," said Shinji as he glanced at the paper.

"Not only that-"

As Asuka said this, she revealed something else which was even further from Shinji's mind. It was the handgun that Asuka had taken from the security checkpoint. It hadn't been fired once, except during that time in the park when Asuka was testing it.

"I didn't know you kept it," said Shinji.

"I kept a lot of things out of habit," said Asuka. "Though this was something which I was surprised I see again."

"Kinda makes it pointless now with my AT-field however."

Asuka glanced at him as he said this. Though Shinji had come to terms with his AT-field, he very rarely brought up the subject. He didn't have a problem with it like he used to, and neither was it a touchy subject anymore. It was something that just existed that he had come to terms with.

"Should I throw it away," asked Asuka.

Shinji took several seconds to reply, seeming to think about it, before finally reaching a decision.

"No, keep it."

This statement surprised Asuka. As Shinji had said, it was pointless considering what he could accomplish with his AT-field.

"What made you decide that?"

"Precaution I suppose," said Shinji. "In case I'm not there, I want you to be able to defend yourself. Besides, I don't know how to use it in the first place."

"I don't think anything is going to happen in the first place, and I can take care of myself," replied Asuka.

While she said this, she didn't mention to Shinji how touched she was that he didn't want anything to happen to her. He hadn't had any visions in a while, not since December, and they spent every waking moment together, so it wasn't as though they were ever apart. But still...

"I'd still feel better about it if you kept it," said Shinji.

"If you say so," replied Asuka.

After this, Asuka retuned to her room and continued packing, though it wasn't long until she returned to Shinji's room.

"Find something else," asked shinji.

"No, I just feel like calling it quits for the night so I'm going to bed."

"Oh," replied Shinji, unsure what he should say at such a declaration. Though they had slept in the same bed the previous night, there was nothing to expect that the same would follow tonight. Still, the way that Asuka had said it almost sounded as though she expected something.

After staring at each other for several seconds, Shinji spoke.

"Did you want-"

Before he could get any further however, Asuka cut him off.

"I'll leave that up to you."

Without saying anything else, Asuka left his room, leaving Shinji to stare blankly at his doorway.

Turning his gaze, he instead looked at the pile of things that were stacked on his bed that was visible in the candlelight. Well, he didn't really want to just dump everything on the floor, and neither did he want to continue packing. That seemed to leave him only one option.

Standing up, he left his own room and entered Asuka's. Her door had been left ajar, so all that he had to do was push it open lightly. It was like she was inviting him in, without voicing it.

The candle within her room had just been blown out, and without any moonlight, Shinji had to be careful as he walked around the objects strewn across the floor. Whether they had previously been on the bed, or always on the floor since she had begun packing, Shinji didn't know.

As he neared her bed, and with his eyes fully adjusted to the darkness, he could see the outline of her body already tucked under the covers. This wasn't the first time that Shinji had entered her bed after she had already gotten in it, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Even so, he always felt a little weird going about it in this manner.

Carefully, he removed the covers from one side of the bed, and then got in, rolling around so that he was turned away from Asuka.

"I see you decided," came Asuka's quiet voice beside him.

Shinji wasn't surprised to hear her, as it was unlikely that she could have fallen asleep that quickly since they had last spoken.

Rolling around towards her, Asuka had already turned to face him, a slight smirk on her face.

"What?" asked Shinji, seeing the expression on her face.

"Nothing," said Asuka. "It's just, you're too predictable sometimes."

"Or you've just known me for a while now."

"Well, there's that," agreed Asuka.

"So are you going to finish packing tomorrow?"

"Most likely, though I don't know about leaving tomorrow. It still seems too soon."

"How much longer do you want to wait?"

"I don't know," shrugged Asuka. "How long until we find another house like this?"

"With luck, not long."

"You're awfully optimistic."

"More like looking forward to the future."

"The future...huh," mumbled Asuka.

The future was ambiguous, even though it was certain the future included both of them. Still, where they lived, what they would do, how long they stayed there were all things that were part of the future. They were still incredibly young, and had possibly seventy years left before they died. Asuka had difficulties putting that number into perspective, as she wasn't even sure what the next few days would bring.

"I can't even imagine what will happen in the future," Asuka finally said.

Well maybe that wasn't entirely true, she thought, as she looked at Shinji.

"I suppose you have a point," said Shinji. "Everybody that is missing could suddenly come back after all."

Asuka hadn't even thought about that possibly. It seemed a given that they were the only people on earth at this point. Then again, Japan was a tiny island compared to the main continents. But say they did meet other humans, what would happen? Whether or not that was for the best, Asuka wasn't sure. As things were, she was fine with.

"Maybe, but I'm not worried about that. If people come back, then they do. If not, then we'll continue on anyway. Now, enough talking. I'm tired and wanna go to bed."

"Fair enough," answered shinji.

Very rarely did they have full conversations like this while sleeping beside each other, so shinji was admittedly enjoying it. But Asuka was right; they did need to get to bed.

Turning away from him, Asuka adjusted her position and curled up further under the covers, enjoying the warmth from the many blankets. She was conscious of the body heat beside her as well of course. Sleep never came difficult while Shinji slept beside her, and though she wasn't about to tell him, she felt an added layer of comfort while he slept beside her.

'I guess that in itself is another form of my feelings,' thought Asuka before she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>They both rose bright and early the next morning, and Shinji was surprised that Asuka had risen the same time as himself. Course, she quickly kicked him out of the room so she could change. This was still a line which hadn't been crossed yet, and Shinji didn't think it would change anytime in the future. Walking into his own room, he changed out of his sweatpants, and into a pair of jeans.<p>

Getting breakfast ready, he was halfway done when Asuka's footsteps entered the kitchen.

"Done yet?" she asked.

"Almost," he replied.

Asuka sat wordlessly at the kitchen table while Shinji finished cooking. The possibility that today was the last day they would be in this house hung on both of their minds. So many memories had filled the days that they had spent here, so many that they would remember for a long time. Leaving it was something that they had decided back in December, in what now felt like a hasty decision. They had so much here already, that it felt stupid and meaningless to leave almost.

Finishing the preparations, Shinji place the breakfast on the table, and sat down beside Asuka. For the amount of time it had taken him, the actual breakfast was lackluster in reality. Asuka assumed that he had been preoccupied, so she didn't mention anything but ate silently. Shinji on the other hand just stared wordlessly at his own plate, suddenly not feeling very hungry.

"You okay?" asked Asuka finally after several awkward minutes.

"I don't know," mumbled Shinji. His eyes had now wandered to the ceiling, apparently lost in thought. "Are we making the right decision in leaving this place? Everything we need is close enough that we don't have to worry about running out of food or any other essential things. What is the reason that we are even leaving here in the first place? It's not like what we have is bad by any means, considering the situation we're in."

"Would you be happier to just stay here then?" asked Asuka.

Tearing his gaze away from the ceiling, Shinji stared back at Asuka, but not quiet looking at her. His eyes seemed to be looking through her.

"Yes and no...I think," Shinji eventually said. "This is easier, what we already have I mean. I can't even begin to count the amount of time spent until we've reached this place and moment. Life here just passes by blissfully and without difficulty. Okay, so some of the winter days were rough, but we got by and came out unscathed. All in all, I can't imagine a better place than what we have already."

"Then what do you mean by 'no?'" wondered Asuka, tilting her head towards the side.

Shinji wasn't sure how to put that part of his thoughts into words. If he was honest, he couldn't remember ever being happier than he was right now, and the previous months that he had spent here with Asuka. So much of it had to do with his time spent here with her, that moving away from this seemed a scary thought. At the same time however, living somewhere quaint and peaceful, out in the country perhaps, had an altogether different feeling to it. No cityscape in the background; no lines of houses, all similarly constructed to mar the scenery. Just him and Asuka in a quiet home somewhere. That image lodged in Shinji's mind, and wouldn't go away.

Still though, he wasn't sure how to express this to Asuka.

"Well, I can sorta understand what you're getting at I think," said Asuka, in reply to Shinji's silence.

"You do?"

"Somehow, this doesn't quite fit right I suppose, or maybe we don't fit properly here. With more people, it may be different, but that isn't going to happen. An entire lifeless city, and we're the only people in it; that doesn't exactly paint a very happy picture. True, we have more than enough food here to probably last us a lifetime, but I'd be lying if I don't feel lonely sometimes, driving around the city which once used to be one of the busiest cities in Japan. Maybe, in an area that was less populated, or something..."

Asuka let her words end there, unsure what she was getting at, but Shinji seemed to understand. They were more or less on the same page afterall.

"Is that it then?" asked Shinji.

"I suppose so," said Asuka as she stood up, carrying her half eaten breakfast to the kitchen. Shinji hadn't even touched his, and would likely be regretting that later, but he'd worry about that when the time comes.

"Now all thats left is to finish packing I guess."

"True," said Shinji.

Though they had said they would finish packing today, it quickly became obvious that they had many more things left to take care of. Even with finishing packing away all their personal effects, the question of what else to take became apparent. Food was the number one priority, as they were unsure how long they would be on the road. Other than that, any of the dishes, utensils, and pots and pans were needed to be sorted and determine what would go, and what would stay. Though seemingly large at first glance, their station wagon quickly became crammed full of boxes that were filled with all sorts of items. The boxes they had gathered from the attic, dumping the christmas ornaments out, and filling them with things more important. It was strange that something so meaningful two months ago would seem so meaningless now that they were moving, and needed all the packing space they could find.

Packing away the final box of kitchen supplies, Shinji walked into the garage and dumped one of many boxes that filled the back of the station wagon. Most of it was canned food or bottled water, but a good amount was other things that they had determine they needed. The last of the firewood was brought with them as well.

Walking back into the house, Shinji walked up the stairs and down the hallway, knocking on Asuka's door.

"It's fine, you can come in. I'm not really doing anything at the moment anyway."

Shinji did so, and walked into Asuka's room. The room was significantly more empty compared to how it had been this morning, when half of Asuka's things had been strewn across the floor. It looked just as it had the first day they had decided to settle here.

Asuka was sitting on her bed cross-legged. The sheets and blankets had been removed along with the pillows. Asuka had insisted that they bring some blankets and at least two pillows with them, saying that, 'if they would be living outside again for a while, they may as well be more comfortable than when they had initially come to Tokyo-2.'

"Got everything you need?" asked Shinji.

"Yeah, just spending sometime sitting here, reminiscing about some stuff. You ready?"

"Whenever you are," nodded Shinji.

"Right," said Asuka.

Springing upward, she bounded off her bed and glanced one final time around her room. She had slept in here for about three months, and would probably be missing this room come tonight. It had been her own place within the house where she went incase something troubled her, but no longer would it serve that purpose.

"Lets go," said Asuka as she turned away from her room.

They both walked down the stairs, Asuka in front of Shinji. Their gazes passed over the dinning room briefly, remembering the meals they had shared together. Everything they had done was together, so their memories were synced up in that regard. Rounding the corner towards the front door, they stood side by side, looking into the living room. This was certainly the room they had spent the most time in, with the fire roaring in front of them, and both of them seated on opposite ends of the couch. From the initial time they moved in, to Christmas, to this moment now, many memories were wound up within this room.

Placing a hand on Asuka's shoulder, Shinji gestured that they should leave. Asuka nodded slowly, realizing that if they spent to much time in this room, they may have second thoughts about this decision.

Walking into the garage, they got into their respective seats, Asuka in the driver seat, and Shinji in the passenger. Wordlessly, Asuka started the car, and threw it into reverse, backing out of the driveway. She paused briefly on the driveway, allowing both of them to look up at the place they had called home for three months. If they wanted to, they could still stay here. All they would have to do would be to drive the car forward again, and retract everything that they had done the past two days. But this decision had been coming on for a while.

"This is okay...right?" asked Asuka.

"Yeah, it is," said Shinji.

Taking her foot off the brake, Asuka finished backing out of the driveway, and then shifted into first gear, before kicking it up to second. Driving down the street, they both looked at the house until they rounded the corner and it disappeared from their sight. Afterwards, they never looked back, nor spoke a word to each other until hours later.

* * *

><p>They had the map of course, so it wasn't as though they were clueless in knowing where they were going. About an hour outside of Tokyo-2, and with the city, house, and ocean behind them, they finally pulled to a stop off the main interstate road. Driving was slow, as they had to continually navigate around the cars that had been parked in the middle of the road. Several cars had been flipped on there side, or had one side caved in. The people who had been driving them had disappeared during Third Impact, leaving their cars to come to a stop at whatever they hit at 55mph.<p>

With Second Impact, and the rising of the oceans, most of the coastal cities in Japan had gone underwater, with the exception of Tokyo-2 and Tokyo-3. Even so, most of mainland Japan had migrated to these two cities that were natural hubs of commercial business. Before Third Impact even, whole cities within mainland Japan already had there populations slashed, creating something similar to a ghost town. On the interstate of course, it wasn't uncommon to see signs pointing off in different directions towards small towns. It was one of these off-ramps that Shinji and Asuka took. They didn't drive far from the road, and kept it within sight, but found a nice section off the shoulder where they could step out and walk down into a small field.

The sun was already setting, and they began slowly making camp, but neither really felt like setting up the tent, only to break it down the next morning.

They ate a makeshift dinner, neither feeling very hungry, but Shinji made a point to eat at least more than he had at breakfast. Afterwards, they sat beside each other, while the warmth of the fire danced in front of their eyes, casting shadows on the ground beside them. They had enough firewood to last several more days, but afterwards, it would be a different story. Granted, and Shinji and considered this already, it wouldn't be difficult to get more, considering what he was able to accomplish with his AT-field. He had a feeling it was never meant to do menial tasks like that, but it was fast and efficient.

As night set in, and the cicadas came out, Shinji and Asuka realized how much there environment had changed in such a short time. Even though the common noises within cities didn't exist anymore, because of Third Impact, nature hadn't begun to take over the monuments to human civilization yet. They had spent so long in Tokyo-2 that they had nearly forgotten what lived on the outside. They had seen several domesticated animals during their time in Tokyo-2, but outside of the city, the noises of nature were all around them.

Shivering slightly, Asuka suddenly stood up, and moved away from the fire. Though she didn't say anything, Shinji understood this to mean she was tired, and wanted to fall asleep. Standing up, he stomped the fire out, and followed her up the sloped hill to their car. Asuka had already opened one of the backdoors, and had crawled into the back, pushing the boxes away from her so she could have enough room to sleep. As Shinji reached the car however, and motioned to sleep in the passenger seat up front, Asuka placed a hand on his shoulder from the backseat. Shinji took one look into her eyes and knew what she wanted to say, without actually saying it.

Crawling over the passenger seat, Shinji moved into the backseat where Asuka was. The boxes made it so crammed that there wasn't any hope of stretching out like his old bed so many miles away now. Grabbing the blankets and the two pillows, Shinji threw the blankets over themselves, and then passed one of the pillows to Asuka, before sinking onto his own.

In the times they had slept together in their old home, there had been so much room in the bed that they could sleep on opposite sides if they wanted to; this was different, and Shinji was reminded of the times they slept in the tent when they first came to Tokyo-2.

"This is strange, sleeping like this I mean," spoke Asuka suddenly.

"I know," mumbled Shinji.

"Remember when we first slept in here?"

"Yeah, you forced me to sleep in the front seat and hogged the back all to yourself."

Shinji could feel Asuka chuckle softly beside him as he said this.

"How things have changed since then."

"Yet we're back here where we started it feelings like."

"In some areas maybe," muttered Asuka so quietly that Shinji couldn't hear her.

Conversation stopped for a time between them, and Shinji thought that Asuka had already fallen asleep and was quickly drifting off himself, when he felt the rustle of the blankets beside him shift. Asuka had changed positions, and instead of being turned away from him, now had her body pressed against his back, and her hands resting on his upper shoulders. Shinji wasn't oblivious to this situation, and could very easily feel the soft sensation of Asuka's breasts pressed against his back. He tried to push these thoughts away, but the warmth that was emanating off Asuka's body was impossible to ignore.

"A-Asuka?" stuttered Shinji.

"W-What? It's not like its very comfortable back here, so at the very least I want to be warm."

Asuka was glad that Shinji couldn't see her face, because it had steadily begun to turn red. It wasn't just he that was aware afterall, as it was her body that was pressed against his.

"Maybe we should have brought more blankets," said Shinji.

"Too late for that," replied Asuka. "Besides...this works well enough as any blanket would."

Her voice got steadily quieter as she finished her sentence until it almost became a whisper.

"How long do you think we'll continue like this Shinji?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will we ever stay in one place for long, or will we move every few months."

"What do you want?"

"I'd like to stay in one place eventually."

"Like settling down?"

Silence greeted Shinji's comment for several seconds, until Asuka eventually replied, "That's one way to look at it I suppose. Settling down has a strange sound to it though, sorta of like-"

Asuka caught herself, as she was about to say something utterly ridiculous. Whether Shinji clued in to what she had been about to say, he didn't say anything in that regard.

"Maybe the next place we stay will be that place."

"Maybe," said Asuka, her voice muffled as her head was pressed against Shinji's back.

Whatever the future held for them was uncertain. They lived in a world which was seemingly devoid of other human life in which they only had each other. Material things hardly mattered to them, as most things they acquired would likely be discarded at some point. Even a home, which they had had until just today, was now behind them. Would another house really make any difference in the grand scheme of things? Would they continue to just move from one place to another, or finally find a place to stay?

Either way, they had an entire lifetime ahead of them, and were still young afterall. Only time would tell.


	20. Sensations

**Alright, here we go! Second chapter as promised. These two chapters are actually kinda weird, in that the first one was mostly written back in April, and this one was just written over the past two weeks. Anyways, as it will be apparent after reading this, there is going to be a change beginning to happen between Asuka and Shinji, but I'll talk more at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>When Shinji first awoke that next morning, he realized that he was in a bit of a predicament. Whenever he slept next to Asuka, when they had been living in their house together in Tokyo-2, he was always considerate about not waking her as he got out of bed. This was never a problem normally, since they usually slept on opposite sides of the bed for the most part, so he never worried that much about accidentally waking her. This was different of course.<p>

Even when he had been sleeping, you couldn't call it very peaceful. After having slept on a mattress for nearly three months, the backseat of the car was anything but comfortable. Several times he had woken up during that night, and had taken several minutes before he had been able to fall asleep again. The hard surface of the backseat dug into his back, and there was little to no room for him toss and turn. The boxes they had brought with them were pushed against the side and stacked on top of each other at his feet, but of course there was somebody sleeping beside him as well. Though they didn't talk to each other after they had initially fallen asleep that night, Shinji knew that more than once, they had both woken up that night at some point.

Either way, when he finally opened his eyes after a restless sleep, he couldn't do much except lay there. The soft breathing from the girl laying next to kept him aware of this, but even Shinji wished that he could at least get out from under the blankets.

After sometime though, and Shinji wasn't sure whether he had a hand in it, Asuka did eventually wake up, though apparently not in the greatest mood.

"What time is it," her voiced eventually groaned next to him.

"Not much longer till sunrise," replied Shinji. From where he was laying, he could see glimpses of the sun on the horizon.

"I may not want to sleep like this again."

"You just aren't used to it yet."

"I meant having two people sleep in the backseat," replied Asuka, her voice rather harsh.

Shinji wasn't sure whether she meant this or not, so he decided to simply not reply.

Slowly, Asuka sat up, the blanket falling around her. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and her eyes had bags under them that weren't there the previous morning. It was amazing how differently a change in their environment could affect her.

She sat like that for several minutes, before untangling herself from the rest of the blankets, and then crawled out of the car. Shinji followed slowly after her, enjoying that change in air when he left the car. It had been far to stuffy in there, and he'd have to remember to roll down the windows before they slept again.

"Its too early, and I didn't get much sleep," grumbled Asuka, as she leaned against the car door. Glancing at Shinji though, she continued with, "You and me both from the look of things."

Shinji supposed that he must look similar to Asuka in that regard.

"At least we have an early start," offered Shinji.

"I'm the one driving," said Asuka as if that ended the conversation.

Shinji didn't reply, and decided that further conversation would be pointless unless they got something to eat.

He was right, as after breakfast, Asuka did wake up a little more, though she still looked tired.

"So whats the plan today," she asked after they had finished eating.

"Continue on the highway I suppose," shrugged Shinji.

"Not much of a plan," sighed Asuka as she fell back onto the grass. "This is far more comfortable than sleeping in that car. Uh, I almost feel like just sleeping here for a couple more hours."

Though she said this, Asuka didn't want to linger around here for very long. Maybe it was because of the house they had left behind, but she wanted to find a new place as quickly as possible. The thought of having to spend many more nights living liked this irked her after being comfortable for so long.

"Well, I suppose we can't really do that though," said Asuka as she sat up.

Taking her meaning, Shinji stamped out the fire, and then followed her back to the car.

* * *

><p>Pulling back onto the highway, they quickly encountered a problem which Shinji had been waiting for in some aspects. Whether humanity knew that Third Impact was upon them, or if it was just another work day of millions of people commuting to work, Shinji didn't know.<p>

Though Tokyo-2 and Tokyo-3 were the major hubs of commercial business and residential dwellings in Japan, that wasn't to say that some people didn't prefer to live in a quieter, secluded place in the country. Even if they did however, in order to support a family, a job was still required. The highway they were on was the busiest highway connecting Tokyo-2 to inland Japan, and therefore, traffic was always a problem during rush hour. They had been lucky so far while driving, both from Tokyo-3 to Tokyo-2, and around Tokyo-2, but they had hit a roadblock, so to speak.

After driving roughly twenty minutes from where they had camped, they came upon a traffic jam of cars. This wouldn't have been so bad if it was only one side of the highway, but both sides, and both lanes were packed with cars.

Slowing to a stop in front of a white sudan, they both stepped out of the car and assessed the situation. From what they could see, the traffic jam went on for a while, and over the next hill, so they couldn't accurately guess how long it would take to get around it. There was no shoulder on the side, so they couldn't drive around it all like they normally could, and doubling back to find a different route could take them hours.

"How the hell do we get around this?" wondered Asuka. Her lack of sleep was starting to show.

"We could always walk it," joked Shinji, but Asuka didn't find it very funny.

"What, and bring all the boxes and shit with us? How far do you think we'd have to walk before we started leaving stuff behind."

"I was joking Asuka."

"And I didn't appreciate it. What are we going to do?"

Shinji didn't immediately reply to her, but since he had seen the traffic jam, he had a pretty good idea what they only thing they could do was.

"Asuka, go ahead and get back in the car," he said.

"Why?" she asked, her gaze whipping over to him.

"Do I really need to say?" replied Shinji.

As he said this, Asuka saw the expression on his face change from one of laid backness, to fixed. It was then that she realized what he was talking about.

"Right, sorry," said Asuka, as she turned around.

"And back up a ways as well. I'm honestly not too sure how this is going to work, so I may need to practice a bit."

"Okay," nodded Asuka. All anger had gone out of her voice, and she suddenly seemed less tired now.

After Shinji was sure that she had gotten back in the car, and had backed away many feet, he turned to look at the cars. Many of them were already damaged, and had both their front and back bumpers smashed in from when the drivers suddenly vanished, and some had even been flipped on their side. Shinji wondered if he'd ever experience the frustration of sitting in long line of cars on a busy highway or freeway, but supposed that such things were likely impossible. Well, this was probably as close as it came anyway.

Even though he tried not to think of it, ever since December, he was always conscious of it. He had hardly used it since then either, but it was still a part of him. His feelings on the subject were mixed now however, where at first he had loathed it, but now was unsure. At the very least, he could easily fix a problem like this, and if something else happened, well, he tried not to think too hard about 'what if' situations. He had this power, and could freely control it now, so that was something.

Waving his arm in the air, he signaled to Asuka that he was about to start clearing the way. Her hands tensed slightly on the steering wheel, though she didn't know why. He would be fine, is all that was running through her head, but the concept of something happening to him still lingered.

A flash of orange erupted around him, and at first Asuka looked away, afraid of what might happen, but quickly looked back. Shinji had projected his AT-field down the center of the two lanes, splitting the two in half. He still wasn't sure whether his AT-field had a limited range, but at the moment, he would do everything in sections. Carefully, he began applying force to the cars on one side of the lane, pushing them over the divider, and into the southbound lane of cars. He was careful as he did this, not wanting to crush the cars, but to simply apply enough force to push them off the road, almost like a bulldozers. After successfully doing this to one lane, he did it to the other. The other lane was on the right side of the road though, with a guardrail against it, and a slopping hill afterwards. Shinji didn't have much choice, and was forced to push the cars clear up against the guardrail, and then over it. The sound of metal screeching against metal filled his ears, and even Asuka who was still inside their car had to cover hers.

Slowly though, they began making progress, and began to push forward. Shinji learned how much force he could use, and began speeding up the process, walking down the center line as he pushed the cars out of his way, while Asuka drove at a distance behind him. Several times, he had to lift a car completely off the pavement with his AT-field, and then gently lower it onto the southbound lane. This continued for what felt like an hour, and Asuka at one point had to shout to get his attention, suggesting that they take a break. But Shinji wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Soon though, they arrived to the top of the hill they had seen at the beginning of the traffic jam. From what they could see, a little further past where they currently were, the shoulder on the right side opened up, so once they got to that point, they could freely drive down it without any worries. Getting to that point would still take time however.

Again, Asuka suggested they take a break, and more importantly, Shinji needed a break. Though he had grown accustomed to his AT-field, he had never used it this much, and she could clearly see that it was slowly wearing him down. Again though, he rejected this idea, and continued on.

It was tedious and laborious work, but Shinji planned on seeing it through to the end. He was glad that his AT-field could be used for something constructive, and not just something for him to worry about. But as he continued wading through the pile of cars, he became more careless. He hadn't considered it before, and had only initially wanted to prevent any broken pieces of glass or metal from slashing the tires of their station wagon as Asuka drove down the center of the lane, but he had forgotten that the cars around him were basically gasoline bombs that were waiting to go off.

As he grew more reckless, and wanted to hurry through this faster, he began applying more pressure to the sides of the cars to move them off the road. One car in particular, was flipped on its side down the middle of the lane, with a puddle of gasoline accumulating underneath it. Shinji missed this, and when he went to push the next line of cars, he applied too much force, generating sparks from the friction of metal between the many cars around him. Next second, a fiery explosion exploded around him.

A chain reaction from all the cars on the highway began, one exploding after another, until the entire road was bathed in a sea of fire and wreckage of twisted metal. Asuka had been many paces behind him in the car when this happened, and had thankfully been clear of the wreckage, but her mind had turned white. One second Shinji was there, and then the next he had disappeared.

As the fireballs subsided, and the gasoline was spent, all that remained were twisted pieces of metal and melted plastic burning brightly. Slowly, Asuka stepped out of the car, her face white as paper. This couldn't have happened, not now...not when. Even from here she could still feel the heat of the fires which continued burning.

She wouldn't believe it. This was all a bad dream that she was having and then she'd wake up in the car again, or maybe back in their home in Tokyo-2 beside him. Something was wrong with this scenario. He couldn't be gone. It was then that she realized she hadn't said anything, still in shock over what had just happened.

"SHINJI!"

She screamed his name, her voice shaking, with tears beginning to stream down her face. She called him again and again until her voice was hoarse and broke. She wanted to run into the flames and search for him, but they were simply too strong. This couldn't have happened, there were so many things she still wanted to say to him, to do with him.

Falling to her knees, she continued calling him, her voice growing weaker and weaker. It felt like somebody was constricting her throat, preventing her from calling him, but that was probably from the smoke. Why hadn't they just stayed in Tokyo-2? If so, this would never have happened.

Her wailing voice continued around the highway, and even animals were beginning to take notice, curious of what was happening, but of course, none of them would approach her.

As she continued crying however, reality began to set in for Asuka. What was she to do now? The possibility of one of them dying: she had thought about this before, but now that such a thing happened, what was she going to do? Was she supposed to just continue on living by herself? Find a new place to live? An empty house with nobody but herself?

No, she didn't think she could do that. Once upon a time, yes, but that had been before she had gotten to know Shinji.

"Without Shinji...I..." mumbled Asuka, her face thick with tears.

A certain noise jolted her however, the sound of something heavy being thrown, and the crunch of metal.

Looking up, she just barely saw the empty shell of a car being sent over the right lanes guardrail and over the slope. The smoke was so thick that she couldn't see through it, but something had moved within the pile of twisted metal.

"Shinji!" she yelled, her voice not as strong as it once was, but even so, it still carried enough. But still, she didn't get a reply.

Instead, a shape emerged from the cloud of smoke. Bare feet walked towards her, the owner not caring about the scorching pavement or the shards of glass and metal that they were walking over. The left side of his torso was completely bare, and what fabric remained of his shirt was charred and scorched, barely hanging on by a thread. Soot covered his entire body from head to toe, and his left arm was a bloody mass of muscle fibers with pockets of skin that looked as though they were slowly covering his arm. He looked worn and tired, but his eyes were glowing a vivid red, determination within them.

Asuka wanted to run towards that figure, but was afraid that she was hallucinating, that what she was seeing wasn't real. He almost seemed like a ghost that had just risen from a grave. But when he called her, she realized that it was none other than the Shinji that she knew.

"...Asuka..."

His voice was rough and raspy, and sounded as though he had inhaled far too much smoke than any normal human could, but when Asuka heard him, her legs finally found the power to move, and she nearly jumped into his arms, knocking him to the ground.

"...Asuka," mumbled Shinji as he clutched her with his good arm.

"You idiot!" she yelled, finding her voice through the tears. "You stupid, reckless, careless, moron! I thought you-"

"I'm here," said Shinji.

That was almost too much for Asuka, and she finally buried her face in his chest, not caring about the soot, sweat, blood, or the fact that her face was pressed against his bare chest, and cried.

Slowly they fell to the ground, Asuka still sobbing, and Shinji with his face rather passive. Glancing down at his arm, he saw that it had almost healed already. It had been close for him.

When the first car exploded, he had immediately thrown up his AT-field in front of him, protecting his face. The second explosion had caught him off guard however, and he had been far to slow in creating a dome around his body, which had resulted in the skin on his left arm being completely burned away. Afterwards, he had created the dome just before the third explosion, and had prevented himself from become nothing more than a burned piece of flesh. He had been far to careless, as Asuka had said. Even though he disliked it, he had been careless because of how powerful his AT-field was and his regenerative abilities. If he was honest with himself, he felt that he was unstoppable. This was a crude wake up call to the fact that he was still human, and could still die. He had lost a lot of blood, and didn't think he'd be able to move much for a while.

"Better now Asuka?"

A small hiccup greeted his question followed with a quiet, "Of course not."

"Can you at least help me to the car? I honestly can't walk very well right now."

"...I can," mumbled Asuka.

Throwing his good arm around her shoulder, Shinji let Asuka bring him to the car, where he sat down in the passenger seat. Quietly, he yanked out two large shards of glass that had pierced his feet, wincing at the pain as he did, but not complaining. Asuka kneeled next to him as he did this. Her eyes were incredibly bloodshot from the crying, but she didn't seem to care about appearances right now.

"What now?" asked Shinji.

"What the fuck do you mean what now?" retorted Asuka, her anger suddenly flaring. "You nearly just died and you ask what now?"

Shinji was silent, knowing that he deserved that. He wouldn't be able to move for a while, or help clear the wreckage for that matter. But just sitting here felt even more worthless than at least trying something.

They sat in silence for a while. Asuka it seemed was torn between relief over Shinji being alive, and angry at him for wanting to move on after nearly dying. As they continued sitting there though, a gentle breeze began to pick up, and the smoke began to clear from the earlier fireball.

Whether by sheer coincidence, or dumb luck, most of the cars which had been blocking the road had been blown out of the way because of the explosions. The fires had died down, and most of the glass had been melted directly into the pavement. Asuka saw all this, and had to think herself incredibly dumb, or just desperate to consider navigating through this mess. But she knew if she took her time, it was possible.

"What are you doing?" asked Shinji as Asuka got into the driver seat.

"Navigating us out of here," she replied.

"Asuka thats-"

"Shut up and let me concentrated Shinji."

It was only because of how much force her voice held that Shinji didn't argue.

Starting the car, Asuka inched forward slowly, and began weaving her way through the wreckage. Several times she stopped the car and got out, examining her options, or moving something out of the way by using whatever she had on hand. Thankfully, it wasn't far until they reached the spot where the shoulder widened, and were able to cruise down that the rest of the way.

After passing through the entirety of the traffic jam, Asuka stopped the car and got out, breathing a sigh of relief. Shinji opened the door, but didn't stand up, unsure whether his legs would support him quite yet.

"Well we're through there at least," said Shinji.

Asuka glared at him, but at the same time felt herself smile slightly.

"Don't ever do something like that again Shinji."

"Asuka-"

"Promise me now," she said, staring right into his eyes which had lost their red shine a while ago.

"Okay, okay, I promise."

"Good."

Throwing her arms over her head, she stretched, looking around at there surroundings. It was then that she noticed a sign on the shoulder of the road. Looking at it further, she mumbled the words several more times to herself, and then glanced over at Shinji.

"I think I just had an idea," she grinned

* * *

><p>Asuka's idea turned out to be rather ridiculous considering the season, but it was warm out, so Shinji went along with it.<p>

About five miles up the road from where Asuka saw the sign was a river that ran underneath the highway. As they continued driving, the amount of cars became less and less until finally when they reached the bridge, they were only one of ten cars they could see from where they were.

The river itself wasn't very large, and was only about forty feet wide if Shinji had to guess. On one side of the shoulder, there was a slanting slope that you could walk down to get to the river, so Asuka did this, and pulled off to the side.

Stepping out of the vehicle, Asuka walked around to the back hatch and began opening several boxes. Wondering what she was doing, Shinji couldn't help but ask.

"What are you looking for Asuka?"

"Soap, shampoo, conditioner, and a towel. I know I packed some, though I'm not sure which box it was."

Shinji didn't bother pointing out that this was likely a waste of space, but Asuka was still a girl afterall, and wanted to cleanse herself if possible. Stepping slowly out of the car, Shinji tested his feet against the pavement. He still felt incredibly tired, and wasn't even sure if he wanted to get down to the river, but Asuka said-

"You either walk down, or I'm rolling you down."

Shinji thought that she would be more caring, considering he had almost died not even an hour ago, but she seemed to want to put that memory as quickly behind her as possible. Plus she still blamed him for the whole mishap in the first place.

Asuka eventually agreed to assist helping Shinji walk down to the river however, and without too much difficulty, they reached the bottom bellow. The shoreline was littered with rocks that had been washed up on the side by floods that had no doubt happened in the past, but the river itself wasn't very deep. About ten feet out it was hardly knee deep, and then dipped to chest height. The current wasn't very strong either, but the water wasn't stagnant and had a clear blue look to it.

Choosing a large rock, Shinji sat down on it and leaned back, letting out a low sigh. He still felt tired, but he had to admit that it was nice to just sit here.

"Shinji, you should really wash up as well."

"Why?"

"You didn't bother to look at yourself in the rearview mirror in the car did you?"

Shinji still had large black patches of soot on his face, arms, and legs, and he hadn't even bothered to change out of his burnt shirt.

"Tell me how the water is first, and then I'll make a decision."

"See for yourself," grinned Asuka as she cupped water in her hands, and then threw it at Shinji. He was just close enough for it to land directly on his face. The water was cold, but not icy, and the sun was still high in the sky.

'What the hell,' thought Shinji.

Standing up, he walked over to where Asuka was standing, and then passed her. Pulling off the remains of his shirt, he tossed it to the side, not really caring where it landed, as he likely wouldn't wear it ever again, and waded slowly into the water. He was wearing shorts, and his feet were still bare, but the pleasant feel of the water hitting his legs made him suddenly feel like swimming for a bit. He had swam back in Tokyo-3 when they had explored the Geofront, but that seemed like ages ago.

Wading further out into the water, he let it reach up to his chest before he finally kicked his legs out behind him and swam. It wasn't even really swimming though, since the area was so small, and multiple times Shinji accidentally kicked a rock, but it did relax him. Dunking himself under several times, he let the water wash over him, removing the soot from his body. It hardly felt that he had been in a life or death situation earlier.

"I take it the water is fine," came Asuka's voice from the shoreline. Shinji would have dearly liked to do to Asuka what she had done earlier, but he was too far away at this point.

"Yeah its fine. If you want to swim, I can get out since there isn't much room for two people."

"No, thats okay," replied Asuka.

At first, Shinji didn't know why she was okay with this, and then the answer became apparent: slowly, Asuka began undressing. First she removed her T-shirt, and threw it onto a nearby rock, and then unbuttoned her pants, bringing them down past her legs before stepping gingerly out of them. Lastly, and Shinji hadn't known she was wearing it, she unclasped the necklace he had gotten her for Christmas, and placed this inside her jeans pocket. All this happened far too fast for Shinji to comprehend, and next second, Asuka was wading out to him in nothing but a white tank top, and white panties.

Shinji's face turned bright red, and as Asuka neared him, her face steadily became redder until it wouldn't have been unexpected for the water to boil around her. When she finally reached the deeper part of the river where he was at, it was with a significantly more embarrassed face. The ends of her long hair were gently flowing through the water as she stood in front of him, and her tank top was plastered against her body, revealing the white bra underneath. Shinji's eyes couldn't help but migrate towards this sight, and Asuka was also very aware of his gaze.

With a rather knowing smirk, Asuka said, "Pervert," before she swam past him.

Shinji couldn't help but follow her with his eyes as she swam down the river a little, still dumbstruck over what he had just witnessed.

Shinji didn't spend much more time in the river after this, but he did feel better at the very least. Sitting on one of the rocks he watched Asuka go from swimming, to simply floating in the water. The current barely pushed her forward, and she only occasionally had to paddle herself backwards to keep herself from drifting. Her hair which was now reaching her waist was splayed out behind her, floating in the water in an uncaring like manner. Shinji had been rather struck dumb over what Asuka had done, but sitting here on the shoreline, and watching her, he couldn't deny that she wasn't cute, or beautiful for that matter. They were both fifteen, and still developing, but Asuka was already beautiful enough that she looked like somebody in their early twenties.

'...And she's grown I think.'

As to where, Shinji didn't really need to specify.

Well, this wasn't that surprising at the same time either, that Shinji would begin to notice these things about her. Even back in Tokyo-3, when they had first met, Asuka's figure was striking enough as it was, but half a year had almost gone by, and noticeable things had started to change. Even as he sat there, he could see the distinct curves of her figure.

But it went further than that as well. Shinji was in the midst of puberty, and it wasn't as though he was oblivious to certain urges that he felt, mainly during the times they had slept together. More than once, he was self conscious of the trouble growing below his waist, and even now, as he watched her, such a thing was happening. He wasn't an idiot, but neither was he sure whether it was simple male anatomy that was making this happen, or if he was truly attracted to her. Well, he supposed he was, but on another level, as in sexually? When did simple attraction end, and the desire to make love begin though?

"Stupid thoughts," mumbled Shinji, trying to shake these away.

Though not entirely untrue either. Shinji hadn't a clue what Asuka's thoughts were on the matter, but she must at least realize what a young boy and girl in the midst of puberty, not to mention sharing the same bed, could potentially lead to. If they hadn't been the only two apparent people living on earth, this situation would have been incredibly absurd, not to mention frowned upon by any adult that discovered this. But that wasn't likely to happen anytime soon.

As Shinji watched her, Asuka seemed to decide she was done swimming, and began returning to the shore. Though Shinji thought she would begin drying herself off, she instead grabbed the bottle of shampoo and conditioner. Wading back into the water, until the water began lapping at her chest, she began applying the shampoo to her hair. From his position, Shinji could clearly see Asuka's back, entirely exposed due to the thin fabric from her tank top that still clung to her skin. Shinji wasn't sure what would be more stimulating, the fact that he could see her bare skin through the fabric, or if she completely removed the tank top entirely. Either one wouldn't do much to alter the feeling between his legs.

After shampooing her hair down, she then dunked it in the water, and afterwards began applying the conditioner. After she came up out of the water the second time, Shinji had to hold his breath as the suns rays began peaking out from behind the clouds, turning her already fiery hair an almost breathtakingly red and orange hue. The sun seemed drawn to her, as it reflected off the water droplets that still clung to her body, making her skin almost too dazzling to see. Shinji didn't consider himself a romantic by any means, but even he had to admit that Asuka looked like a goddess at that moment.

As she returned towards the waters edge, the sun disappeared behind the clouds again, making the momentarily vision seem almost like a dream. Grabbing the bar of soap, she walked in till the water reached her knees, and began lathering down her whole body. Shinji wasn't sure whether he could take much more of this, and even had a nagging suspicion that Asuka was doing all this just to make him feel uncomfortable. But when she started applying the soap to her smooth legs, Shinji had to turn away, owing to the distinct outline of her butt that was practically pointed directly at him.

"Damn it," he mumbled under his breath.

Shortly later, Asuka waded back into the water, and rinsed the soap from her body, before returning to the shore where Shinji still was. Drying herself off with the towel, she then changed back into her clothes, her eyes glancing towards Shinji, wondering why his gaze was off in another direction.

"Well, I feel refreshed," Asuka said, letting out a low sigh as she stretched her arms out above her. "You ready to go?"

"Give me a minute. I'm still a bit tired after all."

That wasn't the reason at all, but if Shinji stood up, the true problem would be only too apparent, and though he didn't realize, Asuka did glance towards that spot, but didn't comment on it.

"Suit yourself," she simply said, and then plopped down on the rock beside him.

Shinji would have rather her not do this, as the image of her well outlined figure was still circulating around his brain, and now the fragrance of the shampoo she had used was wafting in his direction, making any attempt at calming himself nearly impossible.

Glancing over at her, he saw that Asuka was leaning back on her rock, her eyes looking up towards the sky. Noticing his gaze however, Asuka turned her eyes instead towards him with a questioning look.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"...Nothing," said Shinji, aware that his face was turning slightly red. He wasn't sure whether he'd be able to handle sleeping beside her tonight after what he had seen here. The simple image of her practically naked body wasn't going to leave his brain anytime soon. Well, better to get things over with sooner rather than later he supposed.

Standing up, he said, "Alright, I'm ready I guess."

"Need any help walking back up the hill?"

"No, I can manage," said Shinji, rather forcefully shaking his head. The last thing he needed was for her to stand directly beside him.

Walking back of the hill in single file, Shinji made sure to keep several steps ahead of her, and made a point of getting in the car before Asuka did. He hadn't felt so self conscious about this before, so why was it affecting him now?

"Okay, onward we go," said Asuka as she started the car, and continued driving down the highway. Shinji kept his eyes mainly focused on the scenery that passed by as they drove, but his mind couldn't help but wander back to Asuka's beautiful figure.

While Shinji had his own thoughts swirling around his head, he didn't notice Asuka's eyes wavering towards him occasionally as she drove.

'I wonder if I was too obvious?' wondered Asuka. She still liked to toy around with his feelings and tease him a bit, but at some point she would have liked to hear him say something, even if it was a half-baked response.

'Though I suppose he said something in his own way,' thought Asuka, feeling a little embarrassed as she thought this. Shinji was a guy afterall, so his reaction wasn't unexpected.

At the same time though, Asuka couldn't help but feel a little weird, knowing that Shinji had had that reaction towards her. She understood human physiology well enough, so she knew what that meant and all, but when it was directed at her, it was a different feeling.

'Has he felt that way before?'

At that though, Asuka had to stop her thoughts. Just the simple thought process she was going through was dangerously close to territory that she didn't want to explore.

Instead, she pushed everything to the back of her mind, and instead focused on driving towards there destination, whatever that may be.

* * *

><p>Whatever may have befallen the coastal cities of Japan because of Third Impact, like Tokyo-3, and Tokyo-2, inland Japan seemed to have been largely unaffected. As they continued driving, they started passing small communities, mainly dedicated to farmland for the cultivation of rice, which was of course a staple of the Japanese diet. Less and less cars were found abandoned on the highway, and Asuka was beginning to wonder if they were even going in a direction that was remotely close to another town. Japan wasn't a very big country afterall, and it didn't take long to drive from the Pacific Ocean side, to the Sea of Japan side.<p>

Just as she was about to suggest they turn off at the very next exit and head either east or west, a sign came into view, indicating the next town was ten miles away, or roughly twenty kilometers. At least they knew they were headed towards a town, but whether they would decide to stay was a different matter. They didn't really know what they were looking for in the first place.

When they got closer to the town, the farmland around them began to disappear, being replaced with small commercial buildings, which included a small shopping center they could see as they drove past. At the very least, they had a place to stock up on food if they needed to.

Exiting off the highway, Asuka yanked a left onto the overpass, weaving around the cars which were blocking there path. At this point, she decided it was best to make a decision of where they were headed.

"So what do you wanna do now?" her question directed at Shinji.

"Find the nearest housing community as a start I guess. Afterwards, we can make a decision I suppose."

"Alright," said Asuka.

Continuing to drive down the road, it wasn't long until they realized the realities of this town. The town itself was a direct correlation to the farming communities that surrounded it, and as such, didn't have anything else to offer. At one point, it seemed that the place was busy enough, but besides the shopping mall, a couple fast food restaurants, and several gas stations, the town didn't have much to offer.

The housing communities weren't anything like they were back in Tokyo-2, but were either cottages, farmhouses, or simple one story houses. Since they had come from Tokyo-2, where there previous was two story, complete with fireplace, multiple bedrooms, a large kitchen space, and a garage to boot, you could see why they found the current selection lackluster at best.

After driving off in multiple directions, and then returning to where the highway connected to the overpass, Asuka parked the car, and then turned to Shinji.

"What do you think? she asked.

"Well, we wanted to stay someplace different, so this certainly qualifies I suppose."

"Most of these houses are small, but the acreage is a bit much. I like the scenery, but the space feels far too vast."

"I suppose you're right. What now though? Do you want to stay here for the rest of the day, or continue on further down the highway? We probably have a couple hours left until it starts getting dark."

Asuka didn't immediately reply, but was pondering what there next course should be. If this town was any example, they probably wouldn't find much even if they did continue along this highway. At the same time though, there was something she was rather curious to see.

"Hey Shinji?"

"Hmm?"

"Any idea how long it'll take for us to reach the Sea of Japan from here?"

"We've been driving for a while, so I don't think we should be very far away from the coast. Hang on a second."

Climbing over the backseat, he reached for his old backpack that he had carried with him all the way from Tokyo-3, and grabbed the map inside of it. Unfolding it, he found the town that they were currently in, and then how much further it was towards the coast. If they didn't hit any traffic pileups again, it wouldn't even take them two hours.

"Two hours, maybe a little more. We're already more than halfway there. Did you want to drive all the way there?"

"Just a thought really. I don't expect to find much more besides a small fishing village, but I thought that we could either drive up or down the coast depending on which way we decide."

"Its better than just staying here," Shinji admitted freely.

With his words, Asuka wordlessly started the car again, and then drove back onto the highway.

The two hours it took for them to reach the other side of Japan was met with little resistance from cars that were stopped in the middle of the road. This far on the other side of Japan, away from the once bustling cities of Tokyo-2 and Tokyo-3, traffic was hardly a problem. They continued passing farmland for a while, but this eventually gave way to empty land where rolling hills and trees simply grew. After the events of Second Impact, Japan had undergone a momentous restructuring of its infrastructure, which was initially centralized around Tokyo-2, after Old Tokyo had been swallowed by the sea, and then repurposed with Tokyo-3. This was all of course spearheaded by Nerv, and the technology that it brought to the country.

After driving for the two hours, they finally climbed a sloped hill, and were greeted with the reflection of the sun off the water surface. Below them, the Sea of Japan stretched outwards from what appeared to be exactly as Asuka predicted: a small fishing village. From where they were, they could even see the broken and flooded structures of former homes and buildings far out in the water. Whether this was because of the recent Third Impact, or the rising of the sea levels after Second Impact though, they didn't know.

Driving down into the village, they passed a couple small restaurants, a small grocery store, and a couple pubs, but most of the houses were situated directly on the edge of the water. Roads dipped into the sea, making it apparent that the village had once been larger, but likely because of Second Impact, the majority of it had been washed away. Far out in the distance, multiple fishing boats could be seen floating to and fro in the water, and some had even washed up on the beach and been grounded.

Parking the car at a parking space directly in front of the beach, both Shinji and Asuka got out. No longer feeling tired from his near death earlier, Shinji had already put that memory behind himself and felt rather relaxed. The smell of salt from the sea filled his nostrils and he inhaled deeply. It had been a while since he had remembered what this smelled like, and he had to admit he sorta missed it, remembering the time from Tokyo-3. A breeze played across his face pleasantly, and he closed his eyes momentarily, enjoying it.

"I think I'm glad we stopped here," mumbled Asuka. The wind was whipping her hair up behind her, but she seemed to not care. "This is somehow more peaceful than it was in Tokyo-3."

"Yeah," mumbled Shinji, as he glanced over at Asuka. As he did so, he noticed the docks next to where they stood. Several sailing boats and fishing boats were still moored there, and Shinji wouldn't have minded taking a quick look at them, but Asuka's sudden question rather startled him.

"Hey Shinji, how far do you think it is from here to China?"

"...I'm going to assume you mean by boat."

"I do."

Shinji wasn't sure whether this was simple curiosity, or if her question had meaning behind it. Either way, he wasn't sure, and honestly answered her.

"I'm not really sure to be honest."

"I see..."

"You aren't thinking about trying to sail across the Sea of Japan are you?"

"No," said Asuka as she shook her head. "I know its not very reasonable. Too many things could go wrong afterall."

"I'm actually kinda surprised you wouldn't know how to pilot a helicopter or something."

"No," said Asuka with a slight chuckle, "only an Evangelion. Though even that wouldn't help us in crossing the sea."

While they continued standing there, the sun slowly began setting, painting the sea an orange hue. Two days ago, they had been on the other side of Japan, yet it still seemed like a completely different place from where they stood. The tall skyscrapers of Tokyo-2 seemed almost a different memory already.

"We should probably set up camp for the night," suggested Shinji.

"I suppose," Asuka said, agreeing with him.

As they walked back to the car however, Shinji's gaze drifted over to the boats resting at the dock.

"Hey Asuka?"

"Hmm?"

"How would you feel about sleeping on one of those tonight?"

Following the direction of where he was pointing, Asuka noticed the boats at the dock.

"That depends on whether they're simple fishermen's boats, or if they actually have a cabin to sleep in."

"It wouldn't hurt to check at least."

"No, it wouldn't I guess."

So instead of making there way back to the car, they turned to there right, and followed the path around until they set foot on the dock. The wooden planks that they stepped on floated in the water, but each was securely fastened to each other that there was no sense of suddenly falling off. The started stepping on the multiple boats, but most were as Asuka had said, and were simple fishermen's boats, and lacking a cabin of any kind. Shinji was about to suggest that they just head back to the car, or find a small house to spend the night in, when he heard Asuka calling him over.

"I found one," she said as he approached her, "that has a small cabin inside, along with a makeshift kitchen environment."

"Better than nothing I suppose," shrugged Shinji.

Afterwards, they made several trips to the car and back, bringing stuff with them onto the boat. The blankets and pillows already on the boat, they placed in a small closet, and brought there own stuff inside. The bed was hardly any better than the cars backseat, but it was more comfortable at the very least.

The makeshift kitchen had a mini fridge and a gasoline range attached to it, but there was no propane to start the range, and though Shinji dared to open the fridge, it turned out to be empty. Instead, they built a campfire on the beach, using the wood they had brought with them, and ate a small dinner, before retiring to the boat.

Climbing over the rope that blocked the entrance to the boat, they walked down the three steps that led into the cabin. Shinji was still in his shorts from earlier, and was wearing a t-shirt, so he didn't need to change in sleepwear. Asuka on the other hand, changed out of her clothes, and donned a pair of shorts, along with the tank top she had already been wearing. It had already dried, but just seeing it made Shinji remember Asuka's figure from earlier. He didn't need any problems right now, especially as he was about to sleep in the same bed as her, so he pushed that image to the far reaches of his mind.

Climbing into the bed, and then throwing the covers over themselves, they both stared up at the oaken ceiling wordlessly, waiting for sleep to take them.

"This is probably one of the last places I would have imagined sleeping at," said Asuka, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," agreed Shinji quietly.

He suddenly felt tired, which was understandable, considering the things he had been through today. Closing his eyes, he felt himself drifting off to sleep, but he felt the mattress shift beside him, and then looked over to see Asuka turned towards him. She was smiling slightly, though it may have been a smirk at the same time.

"What?" asked Shinji with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing," replied Asuka, the smile still not disappearing from her lips.

'What's up with her?' wondered Shinji. Asuka normally wasn't this lax about her attitude, or appearance towards Shinji. She hadn't even cared that he'd been in the same room with her as she changed.

"If you say so," mumbled Shinji.

Asuka didn't know why, but she suddenly had the urge to pinch his noes after he said this. Trouble was, she didn't know why in the first place.

"Well, I'm going to sleep. Night Asuka."

Closing his eyes again, he slowly drifted off until the only sound filling the cabin was his light breathing. Asuka watched him for a while, debating whether to wake him up or not, but decided against it. He had a harrowing day afterall, so best to let him sleep she supposed.

'Well, its not like I didn't have a long day either' thought Asuka. She reflected back to the traffic jam, and the moment when she thought she had lost him. For Asuka, she felt that her reaction had been uncanny, and rather exaggerated, completely unlike her normal self, or maybe it was better to say her past self. Shinji meant a lot to her, but when the apparent truth had begun to set in, only then did Asuka realize how much.

'A life without Shinji,' she wondered.

She couldn't imagine that, not now, not after everything they had been through, and the realization of her own feelings which were slowly starting to unconsciously take form by her actions and words. She still didn't know where they came from, but did that really matter at the same time?

'Jeez, what about this idiot made me start feeling like this,' she wondered with a slight sigh.

Glancing over at him, she frowned slightly, wondering what he would say if he wasn't fast asleep. Probably stutter rather bad, before silently accepting things.

Scooting a little closer to him, Asuka's face was about directly next to his so that she could feel his breath on her face. It was hot, needless to say, but this didn't really bother Asuka. She could feel her bare legs brushing against his own, and hoped that he wouldn't wake up because of this, but he still seemed fast asleep.

Shinji was taller than Asuka, and his legs reached the end of the bed almost. Sliding further under the covers, Asuka found the headboard at the end of the bed, as well as the ends of Shinji's feet. At the same time, her head was about level with his chest.

'Why am I doing this?' wondered Asuka. It wasn't like just rolling over and falling asleep would be any different really. Still, she didn't stop, and ended up resting her face against Shinji's chest. A certain smell filled her nostrils which she had difficulty describing, but as best as she could, it was simply Shinji's smell.

It was certainly warmer, sleeping next to Shinji like this that was, but Asuka still felt like something wasn't right. She wasn't entirely sure whether to keep her hands at chest height, or down near her waist, but even that didn't seem like the problem.

Suddenly, and whether by accident, or if he had truly been awake this whole time, Shinji's right hand, which had been resting at his side before, suddenly found itself draped over Asuka's shoulder, and down behind the small of her back. She had to stifle a shocked yelp, as in the process his hand brushed against a rather sensitive spot on her body, but the feeling quickly passed. His hand was lax, but even Asuka couldn't help but quietly whisper his name, wondering if he had been awake this entire time. If he was, she may just punch him roughly for quietly accepting all this, and making her feel embarrassed. He didn't stir as she called him however, and his breathing didn't change at all, making her suspect it was all happenstance.

'This idiot,' she thought, rather annoyed at him, and suddenly having a desire to break away from sleeping next to him. In the end, she gave in to the comfort of what she was experiencing, and slowly fell asleep beside him.

* * *

><p><strong>(Okay, prepare for long author note)<strong>

**First of, I'll talk a bit about this chapter I guess. So I said before that so far we have gone through about 2/3rds of the first half of Two of Us, and are now entering the final part of the first half. As is apparent with this chapter, this next 3rd is going to be focusing on Shinji and Asuka's growing relationship, so don't be surprised to see things taking a more mature turn with regards to their relationship. With more explicit stuff (which is still a long ways off) I'll of course be inserting authors notes for people who don't want to read that kinda stuff.**

**On to other stuff. So, in a nut shell, after my big December updates, I decided it was about time I seriously started searching for a job. That basically ate up all my time in February, and most of March, before I finally got hired and started working in April. During that time, it was basically work/come home and play video games, or do absolutely nothing. Honestly, I had kinda forgotten about this for a while, but I've started reading again during this past month, and decided it was about damn time I get off my ass and work on this again.**

**Finally, and I mentioned it briefly in Birthday Without Surprises (It'll get done someday) I got a couple things I wanna say. First, once Two of Us is done, I'm likely done with Shinji/Asuka and fanfiction in general. I may write a couple quick one-shots, but I won't be writing super long stories like this and SOA. Second, and this is basically why the first one exists, I want to step out of the fanfiction world, and start creating my own material. Back in August of last year, I started doing that, and began creating my own book which is pushing about eighty pages currently. Since then, I've come up with two other ideas for books, and began writing another one. **

**I gotta say though, if not for everybody that has reviewed my work, followed it, favorite it, or sent me pms asking me to hurry the F$ck up and finish this, I probably wouldn't have even considered creating my own work. So I'd just like to say thanks to everybody, and hope that you see this story through to the end, and anything else that I may create in the future. Thanks a bunch Everyone!**

**(And as if this wasn't long winded enough, monthly updates will begin again, since I work graveyard and have the entire morning ahead of me)**


	21. Desire

**Blame Destiny for this being late.**

* * *

><p>When Asuka woke up the next morning, it took her several seconds to recognize what the warm pressure was resting against her back, and the distinct smell that was filling her nostrils. It seemed that she had remained beside Shinji the whole night, and more importantly, within his arms, or arm, as it happened to be.<p>

Tilting her head upwards, she saw that he was still sleeping deeply. She was surprised that he hadn't shifted positions the whole night, but that just went to show how tired he was yesterday. Still, she didn't plan on staying like this until he got up either. Praying that she wouldn't wake him, she gently removed his arm that was wrapped around her back, and then sat up slowly, being careful that the blankets wouldn't shift much. She seemed to do an adequate job at least, because Shinji didn't stir in the least.

The cabin was dark and without windows, so it took Asuka several seconds of stumbling around in the dark, before she was able to find the latch to the outside world above.

The hatch opened, and sunlight poured down on her, and she was temporarily blinded while her eyes adjusted to the piercing light. The sun was already fairly high in the sky, so they must have slept longer than intended. Asuka was tempted to go back down and wake Shinji because of this, but she decided to let him sleep a while longer.

She wasn't very hungry, but made breakfast all the same, setting aside a portion for Shinji. She stayed on the stern of the ship, which had a single chair for someone to look out across the water from where they sat. Several more boats were in a line behind this one, but to Asuka's right, the beach stretched out before her, clear up the coast until it disappeared into the horizon. The ocean breeze made her hair dance behind her, and the salt felt refreshing as she breathed it in.

She quickly grew bored however, and began walking along the dock, examining the other ships. In truth, they had only looked at about half the boats here, and a lot of them were only fishing boats without a cabin, which was obvious at a glance. Still, you never knew would could be found. Asuka seriously doubted if they would ever need to worry about fishing for food, but there were plenty of fishing poles to choose from if they ever wanted one.

Each boat had a name plastered on the side in large black letters, either spelling out the owners name, or the company associated with the boat. As Asuka stepped onto a sail boat owned by a R. Takamichi, she glanced around at her surroundings. The sails were furled, and the boat was rather large, appearing to have its own cabin. Opening the hatch that led below, Asuka found a cabin that was slightly larger than their own, with a small dining area included. There wasn't much to speak of that she found useful however, that is, until she opened the mini fridge at least. Well, useful wouldn't quite be the right word either, but Asuka would be lying if she said she wasn't curious at least.

Grabbing what she found, she walked back to the boat they had slept in, and sat back down at her spot on the stern. Glancing down at the case which she found, she remembered a moment back in December shared between herself and Shinji, and the dinner she had cooked that night. It would be different certainly, but it wouldn't hurt to try it at least, and it wasn't like there was anybody to tell her not to.

* * *

><p>Shinji couldn't remember when he had last slept so peacefully. In Tokyo-2 when they had been living at their house, he would usually wake up early, and go to sleep early. Even then, he would occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, or toss and turn constantly, waiting to fall asleep. He had fallen asleep almost instantly last night, and couldn't remember dreaming anything either. The one thing missing of course was Asuka. Shinji wasn't surprised to see that she was already awake, as he had a feeling he had slept in rather late.<p>

Sitting up, he tossed the blankets to the side and made his way to the hatch leading to the deck. After opening it and stepping out into the sun, he was greeted by a very strange sound. The words escaped him, as he didn't know what they were, but the sound itself was pleasant. Following the melancholic sound, Shinji stepped around to the side of deck, and walked towards the stern. The words and melody filled his ears, and he slowly realized that it was a song of sorts, though the language wasn't English or Japanese.

Shinji knew that only one person could be in his vicinity, and so he wasn't a terribly surprised when he found Asuka. She was sitting on the edge of the stern, her legs swung outward and over the water, her gaze stretching out towards the beach. The song Shinji still didn't understand, but the words he finally recognized as German. He often forgot that Asuka was of mixed blood, but this was the first time he had actually heard her speak any German. Her words washed over him like a wave, and he just stood there and listened to her quietly singing. The song seemed both happy and sad at the same time, but since Shinji didn't know the words, he couldn't know for certain what was being said.

As her voice finally grew quieter, and then tapered off on a final note, Shinji nearly felt like clapping. Instead, he settled for just calling out to her.

"Asuka?"

To her credit, Asuka wasn't startled by this sudden interruption. She was too lost in her own thoughts for that right now.

"Hmm? Oh, Shinji? Did you just wake up?"

"Yeah, and that was really good. I think thats the first time I've heard you speak German, though I don't really understand German at all, but it was still beautiful nonetheless."

Asuka's cheeks turned a light shade a pink as he said this, but she shrugged it away.

"It was an old piece written during the 19th century. It just sorta came to me all the sudden I guess."

"What's it about?"

In truth, Asuka didn't want to tell him. She had spent a good deal thinking about Shinji while she sat there, and the turmoil that was going through her heart, and suddenly she remembered that old piece. Where she had heard it though, she couldn't remember. Maybe it had been her mother, but she really couldn't say.

Before she could come up with a lie however, Shinji said something else that completely negated his previous question.

"That isn't beer, is it Asuka?"

His gaze was pointed towards the case that Asuka had retrieved from the other boat earlier. It was Japanese beer, a twelve pack, and completely untouched, except for the one beer that Asuka had beside her.

"So what if it is? Its not like I'm drunk."

"Even so, drinking at our age is-"

"We both had wine during Christmas, so its not like this is wrong or anything."

"That was a special occasion, and besides, you still have to drive."

"Oh shut it Shinji," groaned Asuka angrily.

One second, she couldn't contain the emotions raging inside her, and the next, she was acting abrasive towards him. She wished she could just be honest with, but when he made stupid comments like that, it made her angry.

Shinji looked like he wanted to continue the discussion, but Asuka gave the impression that it was over. Instead, he turned to other matters.

"Have you thought about where we go from here?" he asked.

"I have," nodded Asuka. While she had been waiting around on the boat for Shinji to awake, she had given the subject a good deal of thought.

"Driving farther north along the coast doesn't seem to serve much purpose, but south may be different."

"How do you figure?"

"Do you know anything about your own country?"

Shinji let that slide, but he understood what she was getting at.

"So you figure there will be more towns or cities if we go further south?"

"From what I can tell, nearly everything north of here is going to be farmland, with the occasional small town. South may be different, and I was hoping you had some insight into that."

"Well, most of Japan's coastal cities were abandoned after Second Impact," started Shinji, "which doesn't leave much inland. Cities like Osaka, Kobe, Fukuyama, and Hiroshima are completely underwater. I suppose parts of Nagoya are okay, and Kyoto is still fine."

"I thought we decided not to live in a large city."

"I know, but if we do decide to stay at one place, having a city within driving distance will be important. I've never been to Kyoto before, but if we find a a small town outside the city, it shouldn't take us longer than forty-five, to an hour to go shopping if we need to."

"You forget that I'm the one driving."

"It's not like I wouldn't go with you. What am I suppose to do, wait around the house until you come back?"

Talking in this fashion felt strange, as though they had already decided the exact town and place they were going to live at.

"Either way," said Shinji, "we aren't making any progress by just standing here and arguing."

"True," agreed Asuka.

Taking a final sip from her beer can, just gave it a rather disgruntled look, before chucking it over the side of the boat. She almost wished it was still snowing. At least then she'd be able to keep the case cool somehow. Either way, she picked up what remained of the case, and carried it passed Shinji.

"We should start packing up if we are going south then. It'll take us probably a day an a half before we reach Kyoto, if that is where we're headed."

"It's a start," said Shinji.

"It's better than staying here I suppose."

Though the ocean breeze was pleasant, and being next to a beach again was nice, they didn't have any way of restocking supplies. As Shinji had said, where ever they decided to stay next, it needed to be close enough to a supermarket.

* * *

><p>It didn't take them long to pack everything back inside the car, and shortly after, they were leaving the small fishing village behind. They rolled the windows down and enjoyed the ocean air as they drove. Asuka had decided that driving farther south along the coast would be far faster instead of driving back towards Tokyo-2 and continuing south from there. This way, they were far less likely to run into another traffic jam of abandoned cars.<p>

The sun was directly above them, making it close to, or slightly after noon at this point. They didn't talk much as they drove, but Asuka found her eyes wandering to Shinji occasionally. He seemed not to notice however, and was spending most of his time staring out at the Sea of Japan on their right.

Two months ago, while walking outside on a cold winter morning, she had finally come to recognize her feelings for the boy riding shotgun next to her. Since then though, she had neither acted on those feelings, nor honestly felt anything different until this moment. Why was it, that within those two months, that nothing had happened? Was it because she was too comfortable with the living environment at the time? Now that that environment had changed, was she now more aware of those feelings? Did she even want things to change?

Asuka had battled with that question multiple times, and still hadn't come to a suitable answer. She wasn't afraid for Shinji's response. But what would, and what wouldn't change? Change could be both a wonderful, and a very frightening thing. Their relationship had started out as one of bickering and borderline loathing, and slowly turned from passive acceptance, to finally friendship. Taking it a step further after friendship would mean...

Asuka bit her lips furiously, unwillingly thinking about such things. Did she want Shinji in such a way? Was that the way she was looking at him now? He was scrawny, unattractive, boring, a pushover, and somebody who if she had seen him while just walking on the streets, she wouldn't have given him a second glance.

But he was also kind, caring, friendly towards her, and had a certain stubbornness to himself which she didn't hate. Above all else though, he genuinely cared for her well being. Not many people had ever truly cared about her. At home, she had been neglected by her father, shunned by the people in her college, and even at Nerv, been nothing more than the pilot of Evangelion Unit 02. She had cared about that, and had been thrilled to have been chosen of course, but in the end, what was she really? Just a teenage girl that hadn't had anywhere else to go.

Now though, things were different. Her place was right here beside him.

"That still doesn't answer anything," mumbled Asuka, not aware that she was speaking aloud.

"You say something Asuka?" asked Shinji.

Asuka jerked the wheel suddenly, surprised that she had spoken her thoughts, but quickly corrected her driving.

"What was that about?" wondered Shinji.

"Nothing," growled Asuka, determined not to look at him.

"If you say so," shrugged Shinji, returning to his absentminded gazing out the window.

Asuka's eyes remained fixed on both him and the road for a while, before she returned her full attention to the road.

'Why does he make me feel so uncomfortable at times,' wondered Asuka.

They drove most of the day, only stopping once for a quick break, since Asuka was beginning to complain about the long drive. As the sun began to set though, Asuka decided to call it quits, and found a small parking lot on the right side, overlooking the beach and the Sea of Japan.

Stepping out of the car, she stretched first, and then looked over at Shinji, who was grabbing a couple things out of the backseat, and something which Asuka had rather been dreading.

"You plan on setting that thing up?" asked Asuka pointedly when she saw the tent.

"I had...do you not want to?"

"We're only staying here the one night," said Asuka. Though that wasn't the real reason. Being enclosed within a tent with Shinji the entire night had a certain ring to it that Asuka wasn't sure she liked. Or maybe it was the opposite of that?

"Well, if you don't want to," shrugged Shinji.

"No, its fine," said Asuka. She didn't sound like it was fine, but Shinji didn't question her further.

'Somethings wrong with her, but I haven't a clue as to what,' thought Shinji as he watched her walk down the steep steps to the beach below.

It took Shinji far longer to set up the tent than he had intended. When they used it continuously during those first few weeks in Tokyo-2, he probably could have set it up and torn it down while blindfolded. Now, he was having a hard enough time just getting it to stand upright, and the wind didn't help either, nor Asuka's quiet muttering under her breath.

After a while, he found a spot in the sand next to the embankment which was closer to dirt, and was able to set it up satisfactory, without worrying about it falling over. He decided to use the driftwood that lay scattered around the beach instead of their own supply of firewood, which was slowly dwindling. Hopefully this would be their last night sleeping like this at least.

Dinner was a rushed affair, and at some point while Shinji was packing everything away, Asuka had disappeared from the campfire, but he could see her distant figure walking the length of the beach. Well, she seemed to have been preoccupied most of the day, so Shinji left her alone.

With time to himself, he brought out the map and studied it. In actual fact, they could continue on this highway which snaked along the northern coast of Japan, before dipping slightly south and connecting with the main freeway which would take them into Kyoto. There was a good possibility that when they got closer, traffic would get bad again, but that was a problem for tomorrow. Shinji would have liked a more detailed map of Kyoto, since he had never been there before, but once they got there, it shouldn't be very difficult to find a tourist shop or something. It was the old capital of imperial Japan afterall, and a popular stop for people visiting the country.

Besides actually arriving in the city, making a decision about where to live seemed more difficult. Living right in the middle of the city was out of the question, but outside the city boundaries was probably nearer towards what they were looking for. Again, Shinji wished he had a more detailed map showing the outlining country area.

While he continued glancing over at the map, he heard the soft crunch of footsteps, signaling the return of Asuka. Looking up at her from where he sat, he wasn't sure whether he sensed something wrong in her expression, or...something else. She wasn't angry, but she didn't seem happy either, or maybe it was bothered.

"Asuka, you seem to have been preoccupied all day. Is something wrong?"

Asuka opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words to describe what she was feeling at the moment. Instead, she wordlessly closed her mouth, and sat down next to Shinji. He glanced at her for a moment, before launching into a one sided conversation about his considerations about Kyoto. He may have been talking to a mirror for all the interaction he received from Asuka.

Finally, after he was done speaking, he set the map beside him, and then turned towards Asuka, determined to get her to open up. She was already looking at him, and Shinji was momentarily distracted by this, not realizing that she had gotten closer to him, so that their shoulders were now touching. But more than that, their was something in Asuka's eyes as she stared into his own that Shinji didn't know what to make of. What was she thinking exactly as she stared at him?

"...Asuka?"

She didn't reply, but the distance between them seemed to shorten, and Shinji could easily count all of her eyelashes now. He was becoming incredibly aware of how close they were now, and was feeling uncomfortable. Her eyes were still locked with his, and their seemed to be something questioning within them now, but Shinji could make heads of tails of what it meant. This was completely unlike the Asuka which he had known before. Had something happened while she was walking the beach to bring on this strange behavior?

As she drew closer, Shinji could now feel her soft breath on his face. It had a certain sweetness to it that filled his nostrils, but he still couldn't understand what she was doing. Was she toying with him again, and teasing him? Or was this something else?

"Asuka...what are you doing?" Shinji asked far too bluntly for the current situation. Something within Asuka's eyes seemed to hesitate for a brief moment as he said that, but finally he got a reply.

"Shinji...do you...?"

Asuka's words broke, but her eyes still remained fixed on his. Slowly, it began to dawn on Shinji what was suddenly happening, and he didn't know how to reply.

So, instead, he turned away from her.

Silence engulfed them, and Asuka's cheeks began to turn a certain shade of red, and Shinji's own had already changed color. It was an awkward moment between them, and neither knew how to remedy the situation. But Asuka seemed to have reached her limit of frustration, since she stood up, and walked quickly over to the tent.

"Asuka, I-" tried Shinji, but she wasn't listening. Tugging open the tent flap, she kneeled down, and crawled inside, before quickly zipping it closed.

The fire was still burning, and Shinji stared into it a long time, coming to grips with what had just transpired. He had a sudden urge to rip apart the sand with his AT-field, an urge which he hadn't felt in a while, but he had to calm himself down. It wasn't Asuka's fault, but Shinji wasn't sure whether he could blame himself either. It had happened far too sudden afterall.

'Did she really intend on...' thought Shinji blankly. What else could it have been though? And why had Shinji reacted that way? It wasn't as though it was something he didn't want. Quite the contrary really. But suddenly being thrust into that situation; his brain didn't have enough time to comprehend what was happening, and then he had turned away from her.

But still, to think that Asuka would strike with that, to initiate something like that. If it had ever happened, Shinji always figured he'd be the one to attempt it at first, but he underestimated how much courage Asuka had.

'Or maybe I'm just too cowardly,' thought Shinji. It was rather obvious now what Asuka was battling with for most of the day, or this very well could have been something that had been happening ever since that Christmas night. Shinji knew only too well how many times he had looked at Asuka and wondered what her lips-

He was pulled out of his thoughts when something soft was suddenly dumped on his head. Pulling it off his head, he had enough time to glimpse Asuka stepping back into the tent before it zipped closed behind her. She had brought out his sleeping bag for him, but the way she dumped it on him made it seem she didn't want him in the tent tonight. Shinji didn't think he would have braved entering it even to get his sleeping bag, and was therefore thankful that she had brought it out for him. He had already decided to stay outside for the night, but knowing that she didn't want him beside her made it somehow worse.

Dreading the drive into Kyoto tomorrow, Shinji lapsed into a fitful sleep and woke up multiple times wishing he was inside the tent beside Asuka.

* * *

><p>Neither of them seemed to get much sleep last night, as was apparent when they both saw each other the next morning. Though Shinji made breakfast, Asuka gave every impression that she didn't want to speak a word to him, and treated him as though an empty space simply filled the spot where he sat. All of this made breakfast go by painfully slow, until it was time to pack up and leave.<p>

If Shinji thought breakfast was bad however, the drive was by far worse. The air was stifled, and a brick wall seemed to have been imposed between them that Asuka was determined to keep up for as long as possible. Even if Shinji glanced over at her, she didn't acknowledge his existence at all, but just kept driving. Eventually, Shinji gave up, and focused his eyes outside the car instead. He wondered how much longer this would persist, but if they reached Kyoto sometime today as was the plan, he couldn't see how this silence could continue.

Meanwhile, Asuka was torn between two different emotions as she drove, one of embarrassment, and the other anger. The embarrassment was rather self explanatory, as even she was unsure what she had been thinking at that time, but she felt more angry than anything. Yes it had been rather sudden, and she probably shouldn't have even tried to do that in the first place, but Shinji's reaction was far to unexpected. Asuka had expected him to splutter uncontrollably, and then eventually relent. But to turn away from her in rejection? She had not expected that, which is why it had come as such a shock.

Asuka thought that Shinji liked her, that it went even farther than that, but now she was starting to second guess herself. Maybe he was still unconsciously holding back because of who he was, the realization about his AT-field and what not, but should that really stop him if he liked her? Shinji seemed to have gotten over all that back in December, but Asuka wasn't sure how deep his fear went over harming her accidentally.

As she continued driving though, she had to refocus her attention on other things though. As they began getting closer to Kyoto, the traffic started to worsen again. The Sea of Japan disappeared on there right side as the drove further inland, following the highway. After another hour of driving, and weaving around cars, they finally turned off the highway and onto one of the main expressways, leading them into Kyoto. It wasn't long after, that they were forced to stop in the middle of the road, as the car blockage had gotten out of control again.

Asuka didn't say anything to Shinji, as he wordlessly got out, but she was feeling apprehensive about this, considering what had happened two days ago. Just as they had done before, Shinji walked in front of their car, using his AT-field to push the other cars off to the side so that Asuka could drive down the middle without difficulty. He seemed far more careful as he did this, and time dragged by incredibly slow. Asuka was beginning to wonder if they would ever finish in all honesty.

After a while, they reached a small break in the pile of cars, and were able to drive freely for several miles where they passed a sign that indicated they were thirty miles outside of Kyoto. Predictably though, more traffic jams followed this, and it was late in the afternoon when they finally crossed over the city bounds.

As a city, Kyoto was still largely intact, and seemed largely unaffected by the events of Third Impact. Still, as they drove further into the metropolitan area, some buildings had clearly been laid to waste, and only the empty shells of some structure or another remained.

Before Second Impact, Osaka and Kyoto had been considered part of one giant metropolitan complex, but because of Second Impact, the Osaka bay waters rose, and much of Osaka had been submerged as a result. From the skyline of Kyoto, you could now see the Osaka bay and the ruined city, a reminder of Second Impact.

Since Kyoto had once been the imperial capital of Japan, its tourist attractions, namely the many different shrines, were popular for many different nationalities to come and see. Because of this, tourist shops could be found on most street corners, and in a rare communication between them, Shinji suggested they stop at one so he could grab a map. Though Asuka didn't reply, or give any sign that she had heard him, she still stopped at the next one they spotted, and Shinji jumped out to get one.

The shop was a typical tourist trap of sorts, with many high priced items that would normally be half as expensive at a normal Japanese shop, but the maps always went for free. Course, this didn't really matter much to Shinji, since there wasn't anybody besides him in the store in the first place. Grabbing all the maps that they offered, including one with the many shrines, and another which showed the entire downtown city proper, Shinji returned to the car. As he unfolded it though, he saw that nearly everything was in English.

Even though he knew that speaking terms between himself and Asuka were strained right now, he still had to point this out to her.

"Asuka, I can't read a word of these maps. Its all in English."

Without returning an answer, Asuka wordlessly snatched the maps out of his hand, and studied them for several minutes before putting the car in gear, and driving off. Shinji didn't bother questioning her decision to drive while looking at the map in her lap, as he knew he'd just be greeted with silence. Either way, it worried him slightly.

Though their goal was to find a home to eventually settle in, with the few remaining hours of sunlight they had remaining to them, this was hardly possible. Instead, Asuka's driving seemed to take them on a tour of the different shrines within the city. The majority of them were still intact, even with the destruction of Third Impact, but a few they passed had collapsed. After seeing all this heritage from his people, Shinji nearly wished that he had come here before now, if only to learn more about the city.

Asuka never stopped as she drove, but slowed down significantly as they drove by any particular shrine. The traffic on the road wasn't bad, so Shinji didn't have to get out to make room with his AT-field. Whether Asuka was actually as interested as Shinji was with the different shrines, he didn't know, but she did glance at them as she drove past them at least.

As night began to set however, and Asuka turned the headlights on of their station wagon, Shinji was wondering where they were gonna stop in this once bustling city when they passed a large shrine on their right. Even Shinji could recognize this structure as it was one of the more instantly recognizable shrines in Kyoto, even if he couldn't think of the name off the top of his head. The main building within the grounds, was a five story pagoda that was once a buddhist shrine, and was the tallest, and oldest wooden structure in Japan. Several other buildings dotted the grounds, presumably other temples of worship, as well as gardens which surrounded the landscape. Shinji was remarkably surprised that this structure had remained intact, especially considering how old it was, and all the other destruction that Third Impact had created.

As the wooden structure started to pass him, and Shinji was nearly looking over his shoulder to keep his eyes on it, Asuka hit the brakes, sending Shinji flying forward, and it was only the seatbelt that prevented him from smashing into the dashboard. At first he thought it was out of spite that she did it, but then she suddenly got out. Feeling puzzled, Shinji did so as well and then heard the first words out of Asuka's mouth that entire day.

"We're stopping here."

* * *

><p>Asuka didn't say anything else after that, and Shinji was left to do all the unpacking by himself, while she wandered off somewhere. Shinji of course had to make the decision of whether to unpack the tent or not, and after doing a quick tour of the grounds, that quickly became unnecessary. Though the main temple was sealed shut, and though Shinji could have very easily broken into it with his AT-field, something about defiling his own heritage somehow felt wrong to him, even considering the ridiculous of the situation. Had it been Asuka here with him, and had they been on speaking terms, she probably would have tried kicking the door down by herself.<p>

Instead he settled on one of the smaller temples. The interior was modestly spaced, with only a large buddha statue at the far end of the wall. Shinji brought both their backpacks and sleeping bags into the temple, and then found a spot a short distance away from the temple to cook dinner. Night was already well underway at this point, and as much as he dreaded it, he decided that he should best find Asuka.

After walking one length of the gardens, he eventually found her sitting on a bench beside the pool with brightly colored roses around her and the five story pagoda in the background. She didn't react when she saw him, or more than likely, she had blotted out his existence the entire day.

"I found a place for us to stay the night, and was gonna start preparing dinner."

Again she didn't react or reply to him, but Shinji was beginning to get fed up over this silence. They couldn't continue like this indefinitely either way he looked at it, so best get it out of the way now.

Sitting down next to her suddenly, he had hoped that this would spark some sort of reaction, even if it was to just shy away from him a bit; that had been wishful thinking. She was still refusing to look at him, or even acknowledge his existence.

"Asuka-" Shinji began, and though he finally got a reaction, it wasn't what he wanted. She stood up, and started marching away from, determined not to look at him. But Shinji wasn't just going to accept this, and reached and grabbed her hand.

"Asuka listen to me!" he nearly shouted.

"What!?" she finally said.

Though Shinji told her to listen to him, he honestly wasn't sure what he could possibly say about the previous night. That he didn't accept her, that he rejected what she had done? None of that was true of course, but neither did he think he could make it up to her by trying the same thing that she had attempted.

"If you aren't going to say anything Shinji, then I'm leaving."

"I'm sorry!"

Shinji's words caught her in mid-step as she was about to walk away, but even then, she started moving forward again.

'He's sorry?' she thought 'As if those words could could fix the emptiness in my heart now.'

As she made to keep walking though, he caught her again. Feeling fed up herself, Asuka was about to spin around and slap him, when he solved half the problem himself. Spinning Asuka around, he placed both hands on her shoulder, and for one wild moment, Asuka thought that he was going to succeed in where she failed last night, and was half willing to accept that. Instead he brought her into a strong, comforting hug. Anything that Asuka might have expected was instantly shot down and she was tempted to break free of his embrace when he started talking.

"Asuka...I really don't know what to say in regards to...well, last night I suppose. I appreciate it, I do, but it happened so suddenly that I wasn't sure how to react."

Asuka let Shinji's words wash over herself, hardly hearing them.

'He appreciates it, but doesn't accept it in other words,' thought Asuka, thinking that those words was what Shinji was leaning towards. Unwillingly, she could feel something breaking within her that she hardly knew had existed until recently, and felt something welling up from within her that was unmistakably sadness.

"Asuka...there's a lot ahead of us, but I-"

'Just say it God damn it and get it over with. Anymore of this and I...'

"Asuka, you mean a lot to me, and I can only assume that I mean a lot to you as well. I know I have trouble expressing myself at times, and at other times...I'm not sure whether I deserve to be happy like this. Something in the back of mind says that its a bad idea to...to get involved like this. No matter what, my AT-field is a curse that I have to live with, and while I can control it currently, there may be some point where I lose control.

'I've heard all of this already. Just say it and be done with it!' she nearly shouted at him.

"But...at the same time, I feel like sometimes I can't control myself when I'm around you. When we stopped at that creek, and you looked...well, beautiful, and I wasn't sure whether everything you did there was on purpose, or just coincidence, but I had difficulty controlling...certain feelings at the time."

At his mention of the word beautiful, Asuka's attention snapped back to his words, and she was now fully attentive. What he was saying about the incident at the creek, Asuka wasn't sure whether that had just been an atypical male reaction or not. Either way, she was now listening to his every word.

"I'm still not sure what I want, or what either of us want for that matter. We're still young, and we don't know what the future might hold. Every human being could return tomorrow and things would go back to how they were before. You'd be back at Nerv, and I'd be just some person you knew for a short time that happened to have an AT-field. Granted, I'd probably be dragged to Nerv as well just judging by what a human with an AT-field means, but I think that would be the end of things. I'd be considered a danger, and quarantined for what I possess, and what I could do. But...even if that did all happen tomorrow, I think I would regret never responding to you properly. If I was you in that situation, I couldn't have committed to that."

As he took a breath, Asuka herself felt like she was suffering from oxygen depravation. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff and Shinji's words would determine whether she fell or not.

"So, Asuka I-"

"Okay, okay. Enough's enough Shin-"

Asuka's sentence was cut short however, as she felt something slightly moist pressed against her neck. Asuka's brain completely shut off in recognition to what this was, but it was over in a matter of seconds. Shinji stepped back from her, his expression embarrassed, but still with a small smile on his face. Slowly, Asuka brought her hand up and placed it gently over the spot where Shinji's lips had touched her skin. It had happened in a matter of seconds, and the whole thing was over so quickly that Asuka hardly had time to realize what was happening...and no less on the neck either. Asuka felt her face heating up like a teakettle coming to a boil. But still, what Shinji had done, if he didn't feel that way about her...

"Sh-Shinji...you...," said Asuka her ability to speak temporarily broken.

"Its embarrassing for me too you know," mumbled Shinji.

"But still...you just kissed me...and on the neck," said Asuka her words getting quieter as she spoke.

"What does the neck have to do with anything?" asked Shinji, completely puzzled. "It was the best I could do while hugging you."

"Do you not know anything you idiot!?" Asuka shouted at him, her face turning even redder.

"Why? What does that-"

"Forget it!" shouted Asuka again, turning away from him, her long hair spilling across her shoulders and back.

'Doesn't even know what a kiss to the neck means, idiot.'

Well, at least she didn't feel any hesitation anymore.

"You said earlier that you'd already found a place for the night."

"I wasn't sure if you were listening to that," said Shinji, still seeming to be puzzling over what a kiss to the neck meant.

"Not like I could block out what you were saying by just ignoring you."

"I suppose so," said Shinji.

"So where is this place?"

"Not far I guess, though we aren't staying in the main building."

"Thats fine, though this area is beautiful. I almost wish there was a home close by so we could just relax here every day."

"We could search for one, but I'm fairly certain there isn't. Besides, isn't this a bit close to the city."

"I suppose you are right about that."

While talking about the temples, gardens and what they'd like to find in a house, they arrived at the small buddhist temple that Shinji had already settled in. Sliding the shoji door open, they stepped inside. Asuka didn't have much to comment on other than the bronze buddhist statue and the wooden floor, but she felt pleased enough with the place.

Starting a campfire outside with the remaining wood from their old house in Tokyo-2, Shinji prepared breakfast. He supposed that if he really wanted he could cut some of the trees down in the surrounding area with his AT-field, but he still didn't feel like defiling this place if he could help it. In all likelihood, they'd find a place by tomorrow anyway, at least he hoped.

After finishing and eating breakfast, Shinji and Asuka returned inside to the temple. Since it was so old, and certainly not fit to actually live in, with wooden paneling surrounding the outside, there was a distinct draft that seeped into the building and even with being tucked under their sleeping bags, Shinji and Asuka still felt the cold. Before long, Shinji heard the shifting of a sleeping bag coming from where Asuka was, and then moments later, she plopped down on the ground beside him.

"Its cold," was all she needed to say. Shinji more than understood her meaning, and ended up unzipping both his and Asuka's sleeping bags, so they could sleep under both of them as two large sheets. Shinji wasn't sure if he should be closer to Asuka, since he had just kissed her, but she didn't seem off put by the small gap between them.

"Hey Asuka?" asked Shinji as sleepiness began to engulf them.

"Hmm?"

"Um, though I can understand if you don't want to answer this, since it is embarrassing: what was going through your mind yesterday when you tried to-"

"You're right, that is too embarrassing," Asuka said quickly, cutting Shinji off. She still wasn't sure what state of mind she had been in when she had tried to kiss Shinji, but it had worked out in the end either way. She could very well have asked that same question back to him, but she instead scooted closer to Shinji so she was directly parallel with his body, her back pressed up against his chest.

"...Um, Asuka?"

"What? And don't tell me this is embarrassing considering what you pulled earlier."

Shinji didn't reply to this, but Asuka didn't even think she would have minded if he had wrapped his arms around her chest at the moment. Needless to say, Shinji still didn't have that sort of courage.

While trying to decide where he should place his hands, one of Shinji's feet brushed against Asuka, and he felt her shiver briefly. Whether she was still cold or not, or if it was just the shock from the skin to skin contact, she briefly hesitate, before entwining her feet with his. Shinji was starting to feel light headed at this point, and mumbled something which Asuka only chuckled at. Well, there was still plenty of time to become more familiar with each other, but tonight wasn't that night.

As she felt sleep beginning to sink in, she turned around briefly so that she was facing Shinji and simply said, "Night Shinji," before turning around, snuggling up to him, and slowly drifting off to sleep.

Shinji found it harder to fall asleep, and was overtly conscious about the nape of Asuka's neck that almost seemed to be presenting itself to him, and the curves of her back and butt which he could feel with his own body. He was starting to feel certain urges again, but forced himself to think about other things that would hopefully calm the problem down.

It had been a strange set of days Shinji reflected, culminating in something that was both shocking, and wonderful at the same time. Hopefully tomorrow they would find a house, but sleeping like this wasn't bad either, though the feel of a mattress underneath him, and Asuka lying beside him like this...that wasn't so bad either.

With thoughts which slowly dissolved into dreams, Shinji pictured the house that they were searching for, and eventually settled down in, spending every night together for all the nights remaining to them.

* * *

><p><strong>So things are starting to progress more and more with Shinji and Asuka. I tried aiming for the same time frame in chapters between Spawn of Adam and Two of Us for when they first kissed (though I use the term 'first kissed' loosely). The notion of a kiss to the neck has always made me laugh with regards to Shinji and Asuka, and this is also my little nod to EoE. Also, if you don't know what the meaning behind a kiss to the neck is, just look at the title. Puts Shinji's actions in an entirely different perspective, as Asuka certainly thought.<strong>

**As a side note, at the onset of Two of Us, I always had the idea in mind that they would never spend much time in Tokyo-3, and kinda always had Kyoto in the back of my mind as a destination. Out of all the cities in Japan I would like to visit, Kyoto ranks at the top of my list, and I almost wish I could fly there, if nothing more than to just have more insight for writing this.**

**Well lets see how it goes from here I suppose.**


	22. Longing

**Right, well, not sure if this constitutes a surprise update, but update nonetheless. I'm sure if I thought about things, I could talk more, but its 6:30 in the morning and I've been up all night.**

* * *

><p>Though they both awoke at the same time, neither of them seemed to want to escape the warmth shared between them. Just as they had fallen asleep the night before, Asuka was still sleeping beside Shinji, her back pressed firmly against his chest. Memories of the previous night washed over the two of them, and both were somewhat expecting something to happen, even though neither spoke a word to each other. Still, when Asuka suddenly sat up, clad in nothing but a shirt and panties, Shinji's eyes couldn't help but follow her. Turning her eyes towards him, Asuka's eyes locked with Shinji's, and though their was an ample amount of teasing within them, their also seemed to be the question of, 'what do you want to do?' At this point, Shinji had to look away from her, while Asuka couldn't help but smirk at his nervousness. In all honesty though, if he had tried something, Asuka would have kicked him, as she herself wasn't ready for something like that.<p>

Standing up fully, Asuka let the sleeping bag fall around her and stretched her arms in the air, revealing her stomach and narrow hips unhidden by the shirt. Again, Shinji's eyes rolled over this spectacle, but it was just a fleeting glimpse before Asuka started putting her pants on. It was relatively early, but if they wanted to find a house today, they need to comb as much ground as possible.

Though they had agreed upon this, they lingered for a while longer within the grounds of the temple. It was truly a beautiful place, and likely something that they wouldn't forget anytime soon. With everything already packed away in the car, they spent an hour more walking around the gardens, before finally sitting on the bench where Shinji had found Asuka the previous night.

"We should probably be leaving soon," said Shinji after a moments silence.

"I know," sighed Asuka as she looked upwards to the sky. "Though its hard to believe we're in the middle of Kyoto right now just judging by the scenery. If we could find a place as beautiful as this, I think I could be at ease."

Shinji would have liked to ask her if she was thinking about the events of last night, but thought better of it.

"Well, judging from the map, if we go the furthest north of Kyoto, most of it is forest with sparse towns here and there, so we should be able to find something similar to this I suppose."

"If you say so," shrugged Asuka, though it seemed she didn't believe so.

Returning to their car, they started the journey north. Now that it was daytime, they had a much better view of downtown Kyoto as they drove past all sorts of temples and shrines. Several times Shinji was almost tempted to ask Asuka to stop so they could get out and just walk around a few of these places, but he knew that time would be precious to them today. As such, driving through downtown took longer than it should have, but as they started getting closer to the countryside, they predictably ran into the inevitable traffic jam.

At this point though, they had to decide where to begin searching. Several large towns lay north of Kyoto, though unfortunately, since the maps they had were largely for tourists, they didn't give much indication about the different neighborhoods. Without many options, they just decided to remain on the highway until they saw a likely place to go.

Though the splendor of Kyoto had subsided since the events of Second Impact, it was still a place of beauty and the largest inland city on the island of Japan. The botanical gardens were a sight to behold, and the many parks that dotted the landscape were unrecognizable in the western world. Most of these, along with the shrines, were pointed out in the tourist maps they had, and they took one of the exits that was very descriptive about one of those parks.

Immediately upon exiting, they were greeted by several small communities. Most of these were compact, two story western houses, but here and there was also the traditional Japanese house. Cars were parked in front of the houses where most lacked a garage, and many had potted plants or small gardens growing out front. Though being as it had been nearly seven months since anyone had tended them, weeds had sprung up between the flowers and the grass was far to high.

Shinji and Asuka didn't bother getting out as they drove, being able to tell at a glance whether they'd even considering living at any of these houses or not. Though they were only two people, even they felt like the houses here were too small. It was also possible that the houses in this neighborhood were older than the ones built in Tokyo-2, which would made it unlikely that they would find something similar to their old house in Tokyo-2.

"This is more difficult than I thought it would be," mumbled Asuka as she stopped the car at a now dysfunctional stoplight.

"Did you want to move further north then?" asked Shinji.

"I don't know, I have a feeling that what we find there, wont be much different than here. Though you have a point, there doesn't seem to be much here for us."

Putting the car in gear, Asuka turned around, and returned to the highway.

Snaking there way further north, they passed further into the country side. Soon, the once bustling city lay behind them, and the only thing that surrounded them on either side were rows of trees. They were in a valley of sorts, where the road seemed to have been carved out on either side of the mountain. The maps that they had gathered at this point were all but worthless, as most of them only showed the Kyoto metropolitan area. The only one that gave any useful information, only listed a couple shrines in the area that were a possible spot for tourists. Even the directions were somewhat ambiguous.

After rounding a corner, they came upon a fork in the road, and Asuka slowed the car so they could look at the signs. Both directions had shrines according to the guide, but judging from the area, it was unlikely that they would find any houses suited towards their needs, or any houses to begin with. Though there was a sign that sparked Asuka's interest.

"Hey Shinji?"

"Hmm?"

"If I'm reading this right, their should be a hotel not far from here with a natural hot springs."

"Shouldn't we be looking for a house instead, or have you given up already?"

"Nothing of the sort, but I'm starting to feel that we may have started in the wrong direction. Even so, just the idea of being able to take a proper bath sounds wonderful. Can you honestly say the thought hasn't crossed your mind before?"

"I guess," shrugged Shinji. "But we have more important things to deal with right now."

"An hour or two wouldn't hurt. It isn't even noon yet."

Sighing lightly, Shinji scratched the back of his head before finally resigning to Asuka's wishes.

"Okay, but an hour. Nothing more, and nothing less."

With that settled, they returned to their car, and driving faster than she should have, Asuka hooked a right, and drove towards what was referred to as an onsen in the Japanese language. Shinji was somewhat surprised that Asuka seemed thrilled about this, but she was a girl afterall he supposed. He had rather forgotten about daily necessities humanity had before Third Impact happened, but even he had to admit that taking a hot bath would be nice.

In a much shorter time than they had initially thought, they were driving into the small town. There was only one road through the whole town, and the houses that they saw were far to small to even consider living in. The town didn't even seem to have a grocery store, and Shinji had to wonder why people even bother to come here.

Just by following the road, they eventually stumbled on the hotel. Several cars were parked in the parking lot, and it seemed a rather popular spot for Japanese people before Third Impact. Getting out of their car, they walked up the front steps, and opened the door. The building was made entirely out of wood, as was customary for many Japanese buildings, but it was surprisingly hot inside. Asuka already felt like she was sweating.

"Have you ever been to a place like this before?" she asked. As Shinji went to reply though, she said, "Never mind, I think I already know the answer."

Ignoring the front counter, they stepped to the side and down a long hallway. They passed several flights of stairs that would likely take you up to the bedrooms, but they didn't bother taking these. At the end of the hallway, they found the entrance to the open air bath, that was split between genders. Shinji and Asuka stood outside of the doorways for several seconds before Asuka said, "Well, I guess I'll see you in about an hour or so." Passing through the cloth curtain, she rounded a corner and disappeared from Shinji's sight.

Entering his own genders room, Shinji wasn't really surprised with this turn of events, but in some small corner of his mind, he wondered what Asuka would have said if he had mentioned joining her. Well, such a thing wouldn't happen.

The changing room was modestly spaced, with lockers to store your stuff in, and showers to rinse yourself off afterwards. Neither of these things Shinji had to worry about, so, stripping down until he was stark naked, he grabbed one of the many folded towels inside the basket near the door leading to the bath, wrapped it around his waist, and entered.

A blast of steam assaulted his face, but it wasn't unpleasant, and quite the opposite. Shinji immediately felt himself relax after slipping into the bath, nearly falling asleep instantly. Because of his bodies composition, he didn't tire, never felt overworked, and nor did his muscles ache. But even he felt his entire body relaxing as though all his mental exhaustion was being expunged.

Leaning against the edge of the bath, he looked up to the clear blue sky. This was a pleasant place, far removed from the overcrowded city and he could imagine himself staying here...if this was an actual house. He wondered how Asuka felt about this place, especially now after sinking into the bath, but he assumed she felt something similar as well. This was a good place to come and relax occasionally, but he wouldn't want to stay here.

"...Shinji?"

Though they had been closed moments before, Shinji's eyes opened wide and darted around, thinking that he had heard Asuka nearby. Well, she may be on the other side of the wall, but he didn't hear anything over there so-

"Behind you idiot," came a quiet voice.

As he turned his neck, he could almost hear the bones creaking as he turned towards the sound of her voice. Asuka was standing there, her face flushed in embarrassment, and her eyes cast downwards towards the ground. Her hair was tied up in a bunch behind her head, so as to avoid getting wet, but Shinji's eyes were almost immediately directed to the thing she had wrapped around her body. For all intents and purposes, Asuka was naked, except for the white towel that she had wrapped around her. From her chest to her thighs, only the fabric of the towel covered the important parts, while the rest was barred to the world. It didn't even seem that she had entered the bath yet, but after undressing, had come over here instead.

Being unable to utter a single thing, Shinji gaped open mouthed at her, until she said in a very girlish voice, entirely unlike herself, "If you stare so much, you'll only make this even more embarrassing."

Still unable to talk, Shinji whipped his head around, and stared across the bath to the other side, trying to focus on anything that his mind could lock onto. Unfortunately, the only thing he was able to focus on, were the soft sounds of Asuka's feet as she stepped across the wet floor. When he heard the shuffling sound of a towel being let go of, and falling to the ground, Shinji felt himself go rigid in more ways than one. He heard the small splash of water as she put one foot in, and then other, as well as the soft sigh that escaped her lips as she submerged herself entirely in the water, a slight distance away from him.

Being now fully aware of the situation he was in, Shinji scooted far enough away so that his peripheral vision wouldn't catch anything. However, why was she doing something like this? Didn't she say not that long ago that she'd see him in an hour? Why the sudden change of heart? Was the kiss from yesterday the culprit in all this?

"Hey Shinji, how come you're so far away?" came Asuka's quiet voice.

'As if that needed an explanation,' Shinji nearly yelled at her, but he had to calm himself down. But Asuka's next words pierced his heart in a way that nearly drove all his reasoning away.

"Hey, its alright if you want to look. I won't mind."

A battle began playing out in Shinji's head. On the one very obvious hand, he wanted to look. On the more practical hand, this seemed like some sort of trick to Shinji. Surely Asuka was just teasing him. She had gone from appearing embarrassed earlier, to now fully open with him looking. How could he not be suspicious? These two things played out in Shinji's mind for what felt like hours, but was in reality, a matter of seconds. In the end, his own desires won over.

Turning his head slowly, in preparation for what he may, or may not see, he first noticed the distinct smirk on Asuka's face as though she was enjoying something.

"Well, its nice to see that you have a backbone of some kind."

Second, his eyes traveled down Asuka's body that was submerged in the water, and the white bikini that she was wearing. Shinji felt himself deflate suddenly. Meanwhile, Asuka had clearly thrown aside her attempt at a straight face, and was laughing hysterically while clutching her side and kicking her feet in the water.

"HAHAHAHA, I can't believe you actually fell for that! Are you that much of an idiot!?"

'I certainly feel like one,' thought Shinji as he slowly sunk his head in the water, feeling like disappearing.

"Did you honestly expect me to enter in here with nothing but a towel!?" asked Asuka as she wiped tears away from her eyes.

Shinji was silent, trying to ignore Asuka's laughs. He should have seen this coming, and was angry at himself for not expecting this. He also rebuked himself for giving in to his desires.

Asuka though, seeing that Shinji had clearly just suffered a humiliating defeat, reeled back from the laughter and said, "Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. It seemed like such an opportunity."

"So if you didn't have that bathing suit, you wouldn't have come in," Shinji said, finally speaking up.

"Of course not," said Asuka. "That would be pushing the limits far too much."

"So then you being embarrassed with the towel was all part of it as well?"

"Uh...well, that was sorta embarrassing. Your expression was..."

Asuka's words petered off, trying to forget how glued Shinji's eyes were to her body when he first saw her. She hadn't counted on that.

"And how much time did you waste coming up with this plan?"

"Come on, it was just a bit of fun. When was the last time we got to laugh like this?"

"You did all the laughing," groaned Shinji.

"Whats the difference," said Asuka, clearly still in a good mood.

"Forget it Asuka," said Shinji, letting himself sink into the water.

Asuka watched him for several seconds, with her hand resting against her chin before she asked, "Are you mad at me?"

"...I'm mad at myself for thinking...no, forget it."

Silence them engulfed for several seconds, before Asuka said in a very deadpan voice-

"So then, do you want to see me naked?"

The silence that engulfed them this time was much heavier than the first, and Shinji clearly didn't know what to say to this, but it didn't seem like Asuka actually expected an answer from him. Instead, she dove into the next topic, trying to ignore what she had just said.

"This place is really nice, and I feel like its been years since I last had a bath. I wouldn't mind staying her for a while. But-"

"It doesn't feel right either," said Shinji speaking her mind.

Asuka frowned at him, but nodded all the same.

"I don't know if thats the right way to put it, but overall, yeah. This place is beautiful, relaxing, the environment is great, but something is missing. This place obviously isn't a home, but we could probably make it a home. At the same time though, it feels like a vacation spot that is almost too perfect in a sense. I don't know if I could live here."

"I understand the feeling," said Shinji. "Spending time here occasionally would be nice, but permanent residence is...

They still weren't sure what they were looking for, but this didn't seem to be it.

"Well either way, if we do find a place around here, I would like to come here occasionally. I'd forgotten what a proper bath feels like," said Asuka as she threw her arms up in the air and stretched out.

"Yeah, it is nice," said Shinji.

Looking away from the sky, Asuka glanced over at Shinji. Though she had had her bit of fun, Shinji had hardly looked at her since she had entered the bath. It seemed that he was still embarrassed, and while she felt a little embarrassed as well, it wasn't as though this was much different than the time they had swam in that river. Besides, they slept next to each other more often than naught, and it wasn't as though this was much more embarrassing than that, which they had gotten used to. Though as much as Asuka would deny it, deep down, she enjoyed it when Shinji looked at her. To know that she was the only person that he gave attention to brought a certain warmth to her chest.

"Shinji?" Asuka said, suddenly quietly.

"Hmm?" was all he replied, not looking over at her.

Asuka didn't say anything in reply however, and instead slowly stood up, and walked towards where Shinji was sitting. Though he heard the ripple of the water move, he still didn't look at her, but began tensing up. When she sat down next to him, it was all he could do to not look over at her, as he knew his eyes would immediately be directed towards her chest.

"Shinji?"

"What?" asked Shinji, wishing that his tone wasn't so harsh.

Apparently annoyed that he was still refusing to look at her, Asuka grabbed his cheeks with one hand, and turned his face so that he was looking directly at her. It was the first time that Shinji had a good look at Asuka since she had first entered, and he had difficulties not wanting to kiss her again. Water was glistening against her cheek in the sunlight, and her hair was slightly damp from the steam emanating off the water. Looking closely, it seemed that she had taken great lengths to tie her hair up, and several locks of the brightly colored red kept on falling into her vision. Her lips were moist, and this was almost certainly from the water, but they had a certain amount of seductiveness to them nonetheless. Above all else though, in Shinji's peripheral, he could see the distinct outline of her cleavage, which made him wonder if the bikini wasn't something she had this entire time, or rather something she had found in the woman's dressing room. If so, there was a strong possibility it didn't fit Asuka's still small frame.

"Shinji?"

"...What?" he replied, still focused on all these nuances.

"You're really perverted sometimes you know that."

It seems that she had caught him looking, but Shinji didn't have any means of retorting. Asuka let go of his cheeks then, but instead of moving away from him, she leaned up against him. At first she just rested her head against his shoulder, but soon, she pressed her body against his, so that skin contacted skin. Shinji felt his body heat jump up several degrees at this and wondered if his entire body was turning red.

"I miss being able to do this," mumbled Asuka quietly beside him.

"Miss this?" wondered Shinji.

"Back in Tokyo-2, when we used to sit on the couch together. I enjoyed those times."

Smiling slightly in spite of the situation, Shinji had to agree with her.

"I did too, though this is also different...almost as though we're bathing together."

Though Shinji spoke his mind, and felt embarrassed because of it, even Asuka felt herself turning red.

"God, you really know when to say the wrong thing," sighed Asuka. Removing her head from his shoulder, her glance instead trailed down Shinji's chest, taking in his own nuances, before looking down towards his waist.

"Hey, Shinji? I've been wondering, but how come you brought the towel into the bath with you?"

At her words, Shinji felt his mind froze. In all honesty, that had been the main reason that he felt so embarrassed, the fact that if that towel was removed, he'd be completely naked.

"Though I've never been to a hot springs before, you usually bring a towel in with you," Shinji said, trying to sound normal.

"What is that, some Japanese custom? Why bother if you just have a bathing suit?"

After she finished, Asuka's words hung in the air for several seconds of silence, before realization seemed to dawn on her.

"...Shinji, you're not..."

"Well, I didn't expect you to come in here so-"

"Idiot!" shouted Asuka, her face turning bright red. Shinji meanwhile had already accepted the situation, and decided to just let it happen. Though it was still rather unexpected when Asuka's hand appeared out of nowhere and slapped him.

* * *

><p>That quickly put an end to the mixed gender bathing situation. Afterwards, Asuka had stormed out in a huff, declaring that if he wasn't ready by the time she was done changing, she'd leave without him. Shinji highly doubted that Asuka was serious about this, but he left the springs and changed back into his clothes all the same. After leaving the changing room, he waited a couple of minutes for Asuka, who by the time she came out, was still seething over what had happened, and was muttering darkly the whole time. In the end though, Shinji had gotten Asuka back for what she had pulled, so he wasn't terribly put off by the whole thing.<p>

Returning to their car, they argued the whole way about where to go next. They could go left at the split in the road, or return south towards a more populous area. They both agreed that there wouldn't be anything but another smaller town if they took the left road, but returning further south also had its own problems. They didn't want to drive too far into Kyoto, and lose everything that the country side had to offer, but it seemed that finding a house in the country would also be difficult. Still, they agreed to drive further south at the very least.

Though they didn't spend as much time as was intended at the hot springs, it was now afternoon, around one o'clock or so. If they had any intention of finding a home before dark, they had to do so soon.

Trees rushed by them as Asuka drove further south until they started to see smaller communities that they had passed on the way up. None of these interesting them, so they continued driving further south. Several turnoffs flashed by them, but still, they didn't have any intention of leaving the main highway.

As they were nearing the first community they looked at though, Shinji glanced out his window and saw a sign indicating a town at the next turnoff. The trees further in the mountains had disappeared behind them, and several long stretches of farmland now began appearing in front of them.

"Asuka pull off up here," said Shinji, pointing to the offramp.

"How come?"

"I wanna check out the town over there," said Shinji as he pointed out the window. Asuka glanced towards where he was pointing, but wasn't really sure that this was wise.

"If you say so," she said, shrugged, and took the offramp. Hooking a left, they drove over the highway and began speeding down the small road. Farmland began passing them, complete with western style farms houses, and Shinji was beginning to wonder what a place that seemed straight out of Midwestern America was doing here.

After Second Impact, much of Japan was changed to accommodate the relocation of most of the Japanese people to Tokyo-2 and later Tokyo-3. With all the coastal cities being decimated, and these being the many commercial hubs on the island, much of inland Japan was changed into farmland. Not only that, but Japan saw an increase in foreigner activity, largely within Tokyo-2 and Tokyo-3. Because of these things, a higher production rate of produce was required to feed the sudden change in population. Being influenced by western architecture and the surge in foreigners, western style farm houses began springing up all over Japan, mainly consisting of large families. It wasn't unheard of either for foreigners to permanently settle on the island.

They had, however, already ruled out the possibility of a farmhouse, which made all this seem rather pointless. But as they drove further towards the town, their minds began to change.

The road they were on began winding its way back north, so that they could see the edge of the forest as they drove. The farmland steadily began to dwindle down, as the acreage seemed less and less apparent, and trees began rising on all sides of them. Soon, they passed under a pair of power lines, that disappeared into a large group of trees, appearing to go straight up the mountain to their left. As they rounded a corner, the first building came into sight.

By first appearances, it was a western style house, but as Asuka slowed down as they passed it, it appeared to be a restaurant of some kind. The name didn't give any indication as to what they served, but the name was in both Japanese, and English. Seeing this, both Shinji and Asuka began feeling excited.

As they drove further into town, it became apparent that the road they were on went all the way through this town, and into the next. Nearly all the buildings were western with a few of Japanese origin here and there. Choosing a side road, Asuka swung left, and turned onto what appeared to be the main street. The road cut straight through the middle of town, and up a small hill, where many houses were positioned, nearly all western style. It seemed to be a community of western and Japanese people. Driving more through the small town, it was revealed that it had its own grocery store as well, but this would come later.

Finding a suitable spot to park, Shinji and Asuka got out, and examined this new environment.

"What do you think?" Asuka asked first.

"Its hard to tell from what we've only seen, but there is probably something around here that we could find."

"Agreed," said Asuka.

Ignoring what constituted the small downtown part, they spent most of their time driving around the neighborhood on top of the hill. Most of the houses were single story, though each one of them had a garage. Once or twice Asuka stopped the car so they could examine a house in closer detail, but they always decided to continue driving onward.

The town had two roads which cut through it, and straight up the hill to where Shinji and Asuka were. Crisscrossing these roads were many more which constituted the entirety of the neighborhood. Nearly all the house were of a neutral color such as white or tan, with a few lightish grey. Each had its own small yard, though each house was directly adjacent to the next, not allowing for much room between them.

After scouring much of the area, Asuka took a left onto one of the crossing roads, and followed it up another hill. The hill wound its way up, passing many trees with several driveways that led deeper into the forest. When they appeared on top of the hill, more trees greeted them, but from how straight the road was, it was flat for as far as they could see. Up here, further above the small town, the houses were spaced further apart and had much more land. Finding a small shoulder, Asuka pulled off the road and parked the car, then turned to Shinji.

"So, do you want to continued driving in this direction, or return to the highway and drive closer to Kyoto?"

Shinji wished that she wouldn't ask for his opinion, because he wasn't honestly sure. If they returned to the highway, than they would certainly have more options to choose from, but this place also had a certain calm and secluded feel to it that he was curious about.

"Lets continue on for a while longer," he eventually decided.

Asuka nodded, and put the car in gear again, skidding off the shoulder and onto the road once again. The long stretch of road seemed to continue on forever, with sparse houses here and there, but from the glimpses than they got, neither decided it warranted it a look.

Just as they were tempted to turn around and return to the highway, they saw a road that wasn't a driveway appearing slowly on their right. Without saying a word, Asuka slowed down and took the turn sharply, shifting down several gears. To the side of the road they had just turned on, a single sign indicated that this was a dead end. From what they could see, the road slopped downwards into a valley of sorts, so they were parked on top of a hill currently.

"What do you think?" asked Asuka.

"Couldn't hurt to look."

Having agreed on this, Asuka slowly let the car coast down the hill while she had her foot on the break. At the bottom of the hill, the road split in two, one road turning left, and the other right. Intending to take the left, Asuka didn't drive far past the initial turn, before she slammed on the break, bringing them to a sudden stop. Shinji would have liked to have said something in regards to her driving, but he found himself understanding why she had stopped suddenly. On their left, was a dense forest of trees that seemed to prevent any sunlight from passing through, but on the right, just passed a narrow group of trees, they could see a house emerging from a clearing. Turning into the driveway, Asuka stopped the car, and they slowly got out.

It was a two story house, perched on the corner of the split in the road, and seemed to have driveways for both sides of the road, but this seemed to be the main driveway. The house was a light grey, built fairly recently, with a modest yard and garden that was surrounded by a clump of trees. The driveway they had parked on lead up to a garage door, with a car already parked in front of it.

Looking silently up to the house that had two windows facing towards Shinji and Asuka, both looked at each before walking around the backside of the house. It had a patio that seemed to run around the length of the house with a table and several chairs, with a sliding glass door on the back, and large windows peering into what appeared to be the kitchen, dining room, and living room. Trying the sliding glass door, Shinji tugged on it multiple times, but it appeared to be locked. Though it would be easy to break in, AT-field or not, Shinji judged that destroying any part of this house would be unwise.

Continuing to walk around the house, they stepped onto the other driveway from the other road. It was a circular driveway that looped around, though the front door seemed to be here. Trying the door which was white and had white wooden trim around it, Shinji tugged on this as well to no avail.

Returning to the driveway where they had parked, they saw what they had initially missed. To the side of the garage, was a door that clearly opened into the garage. Trying this as well, Shinji found that the doorknob turned easily, and the door swung open. No cars were parked inside the garage, and it was largely devoid of anything that would constitute junk. Glancing over at Asuka, she nodded once, before they both stepped in, and closed the door behind them.

There was a musky smell that entered their nostrils, which was assumed since nobody had been in here in months, but it was a garage as well, so this was somewhat expect. To their left, a white door which was presumably connected to the house was closed against them. Stepping up the two steps towards it, Shinji nearly expected it to be locked, but found that it opened easily.

The door opened into a storage space, two closets against the opposite wall, and to the left of these, another door. The floor was tiled, and several shoes of varying sizes were placed on a rack beside the door. Though this wasn't their first experience on intruding into a house where somebody once lived, the whole experience still felt strange, even now. Opening the door, they stepped into the new house they discovered.

The ceiling was low hanging just like their previous house. From what they had seen while walking around the exterior, the kitchen, dining room, and living room were all one room, with the living room connected by an archway. The floor inside the kitchen was tiled with wood, as well as the dining room, but the living room was carpeted an off white. All the walls were white, and all the doors had white trim around them.

Stepping further into the house, they walked the length of the initial area. The living room was the first, complete with a couch, table, and chair that reclined, along with a large T.V. that was in the far corner of the room. But far more important though, was the fireplace in the living room, opposite of the sliding glass door.

The kitchen was large, with plenty of counter space and cupboards. The counters were made out of granite, and the cupboards were all white. Other than this, it of course had a refrigerator, oven, sink, and dishwasher, but none of these worked of course.

The dining room had a simple placement of six chairs, surrounded by one long oak table, and the chandelier which hung above it.

After thoroughly examining the three rooms, and checking all the cupboards, and desk drawers, Shinji and Asuka turned their attention to the rest of the house. From the door that led to the garage, to the right was the front door, and a staircase which led to the upper floors. Directly across from them, their seemed to be an office with an assortment of papers upon a large desk, and a bookshelf opposite of this. A wooden railing ran its way up the staircase, pausing briefly on a landing, before turning upwards again.

The upstairs had three bedrooms, one master, and the other presumably for guests or children. The one bedroom was certainly for a child's, as it had toys strewn across the floor, and the walls were brightly colored pink, making it appear that a girl once slept in this room. The other bedroom was very plain, with only the bare minimum of things like a bed and dresser.

The master bedroom was at the far opposite end of the hallway, directly above the living room, with the two windows that they had seen outside while facing the garage. A bathroom directly before the bedroom was supposedly for the rest of the houses inhabitants, but the master bedroom had its own. A double set of doors opened the way to the bedroom. A large, king sized bed stood out in the forefront, positioned directly in the center of the room. Two dressers were on opposite sides of the bed, and two small desks were directly next to the bed on opposite sides. A single large mirror rested against the wall away from the bed, and to the far left, was another set of double doors leading into the bathroom. The bathroom had both a shower and bathtub, along with a walk in closet, though this wasn't to mention the obvious sink and toilet.

Though it was difficult to take this all in at once, after walking the entire length of the house from top to bottom, Asuka slowly sat onto the bed, and immediately sank into the soft mattress. Though it had only been about a week at most since she had last slept in a bed, it still felt much longer. Turning around, she sank her face into the soft blankets and let out a sigh of relief. Shinji sat down beside her and looked around the room, still taking everything in.

"...Shinji?" came Asuka's muffled voice since her face was still buried in the blankets.

"Yeah, I know," came Shinji slow reply.

They didn't need say anything to each other. They had found their new home.

* * *

><p>Though the daunting task of finding a new home was over with, there was still the process of it becoming theres. Just as they had done previously, any photos that showed of the previous owners, they laid down flat so that they couldn't see them. Again, they could have just as easily removed them from the house entirely, but that would have seemed insensitive.<p>

Next, there was the steady process of bringing everything from their car into the house and arranging everything. This was far more difficult than last time, as most of the stuff they had now was taken with them when they left Tokyo-2, but they found plenty of things that were usable as well. While Shinji spent most of his time bringing stuff into the house and garage, Asuka dusted off many of the surfaces within the house, and examined the pots, pans, and silverware in the kitchen.

By now, the sun was beginning to set and most of the things had been brought in and set in order. There was a small supply of firewood left under a tarp in the garage, so Shinji used it to a start a fire in the fireplace, while Asuka brewed some tea outside on the patio. Bringing two steaming cups of tea inside through the sliding door, Asuka handed one to Shinji, and then sat down on the couch across from the fireplace. She immediately sank into the cushions, stretched out, and rested her feet on the table in front of her.

"I don't want to move from here," groaned Asuka.

"As in move off the couch, or this place in general?"

"Both," sighed Asuka, clearly content about the situation.

"Well, I think that we should explore this place more, and there is the grocery store in town that we'll need to stop by. Though we can save those things for tomorrow. I'm not sure how much property is here, but its more than the house we had in Tokyo-2."

"I don't care," said Asuka. "I'm just glad to not be sitting in car, or on the ground again."

Well it had been hardest on Asuka, since she had to do all the driving, though Shinji had pulled his own weight as well, what with the moving of the cars and all.

"I'll probably need to get firewood as well, since we don't have enough to last us even a couple of days. At least theres plenty of trees around here."

"I'm going to assume you don't plan on using an ax," said Asuka jokingly.

"No...I'll use my AT-field for that. At least it can be used for something useful."

"Be careful when you do," mumbled Asuka.

"Even if a tree were towards me, as long as I protect myself with the dome I'd be fine."

Asuka wanted to say something in this regards, but she knew very well how sturdy Shinji was, and just how powerful his AT-field was. She probably didn't need to worry about it.

"Well, guess I'll make dinner with the remaining food we have. I'd ask you want you want, but at this point, we've only got one option."

"Rice with chicken broth?"

"Yeah."

Laughing lightly, Asuka said, "Its what we started on, so I guess it only fits to have it now that we have a new house."

It didn't feel real in a certain sense. Six hours ago, they were sitting in a hot springs together further up north, and now they were sitting side by side on a couch in a home that they had discovered. Though they had decided to stay here now, it would still take a couple of days for them to get used to this again.

Standing up, Shinji walked into the kitchen to grab the necessary ingredients, and then walked outside on the patio to begin preparing everything.

Asuka continued sitting slumped on the couch, thinking about their new place. Judging by what they had seen so far, a family of three used to live here: a mother, father, and a daughter somewhere around three, to six years old. The refrigerator had multiple childish drawings on it with crayons, and they had found many photos within an album while going through stuff in the master bedroom. The photos on walls and tables they had turned around or faced them down, but the drawings on the refrigerator they had left up for the time being. It had been Asuka who had left them as they were, though she couldn't rightfully explain why.

Setting her tea on the table, she swung her legs onto the couch and laid down. Though they hadn't been here very long, Asuka could already tell she was content in staying here. But that at the same time made her wonder as well. How long would they stay here? Another month, six months, years? Or would they ever leave? She had discussed this question with Shinji before, but they hadn't come to a conclusion yet.

While Asuka pondered about this, Shinji finished making dinner, and brought in two bowls in through the sliding door. As they used to before, they ate the dinner while sitting side by side on the couch. It was much warmer by the fire than in the dining room afterall.

After finishing dinner, Shinji washed the dishes, while Asuka lit a few candles she had found in a box inside the walk-in closet from upstairs. There was enough to spread them around the house equally so no place was so dark that they couldn't find their way. It would still take them time to acquaint themselves with the layout of the house, so until then, and so as to not bump into stuff, they'd have the candles burning until they went to bed.

While Asuka was upstairs arranging the candles, Shinji had finished washing the dishes and walked in the downstairs study near the front door. Asuka had already lit a candle in there, and though it didn't seem necessary, Shinji was glad that she did, so he could have a look at the bookshelf. Their house in Tokyo-2 had its own study as well, and Shinji had read through those books so many times that he would be glad to find something new. Pulling a book off the shelf at random, he examined it by the candlelight and saw that it was a thriller of some sorts. Riffling through it for a couple of seconds, he decided that he may as well start somewhere.

Returning to the living, he began reading from page one, when he heard Asuka's footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Well, all the candles are placed and I lit a few, though it seems you already knew that," said Asuka when she saw the book he was reading.

"Yeah, thanks," said Shinji, somewhat distracted.

Asuka frowned at him briefly, but then had to stifle a yawn. Though the bath earlier had been wonderful, it also made her realize how tired she had been recently. She had hardly done much the passed few days besides drive, so she was rather eager to finally sleep in a bed again.

"Tired?" asked Shinji.

"Yeah, I think I'll turn in earlier. What are you gonna do?"

"Stay down here for a while I suppose. This book isn't bad."

Asuka again frowned at him, and looked as though she wanted to say something. Instead, she turned away from him and said, "Well, goodnight Shinji."

"Hmm, night Asuka," mumbled Shinji, clearly absorbed in his book.

* * *

><p>Shinji continued reading his book until he lost track of time. It was likely sometime after ten, when he finally paused. Standing up, he grabbed something to drink and returned to the couch, sinking down in the cushions. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced over at the fireplace, thinking that he'd have to put more wood in if he intended to keep reading. Though he really should get to be soon he thought.<p>

He'd already read the first hundred or so pages, and it was a rather long book, so he wasn't finishing it anytime soon. Yawning widely, he stood up and returned the book to the study, blowing out the candle when he left. Doing the same in the kitchen and dining room, he sat back on the couch and propped his feet on the table.

Though he felt tired, he also felt too excited, which was why he had stayed up for so long. In truth, he wanted to walk around outside and explore the new area that they had found. It couldn't be any further from what their house in Tokyo-2 had been. Sure, there were other houses nearby, but just by looking out the windows during daytime, he couldn't see any of them since the trees blocked them from view.

Standing up, he opened the sliding door and stepped outside onto the patio. Looking up, he could clearly see the stars, which wasn't different compared to their old house, but the scenery was different. With the moon out, parts of the grassy lawn behind their house were illumined along with the trees that surrounded them. Shinji wondered what was beyond the row of trees behind their house, as it didn't seem like another house, and he was nearly tempted to walk towards the tree line when the sliding glass door opened behind him.

Turning around, he was somewhat surprised to see Asuka standing their, considering he thought she went to sleep hours ago. Whats more, she was only wearing a white shirt and shorts that weren't suited for the temperature outside.

"I thought you went to sleep Asuka?" wondered Shinji.

He didn't get a reply from her, but she walked closer to him, and suddenly grabbed his hand. As he was about to ask her whether something was wrong, Asuka tugged on his hand, pulling him through the sliding door. Shinji hardly had time to close it before Asuka started tugging him towards the staircase, throughout which he tried asking her why she was doing this. She didn't seem in the mood to reply however.

Dragging him up the stairs, Shinji stumbled over his feet multiple times, but Asuka didn't stop for him. Down the hallway they went, and when they reached the door to the master bedroom, Asuka kicked it open, where it bounced off the wall and caught Shinji in the foot as she dragged him through it. Finally, she threw him down on the bed and stood over him.

"Asuka, what are you doing?" Shinji said, having to fight to keep his tone normal. It was like she had done a complete one eighty in her personality in the short time he hadn't seen her.

But instead of replying, Asuka threw herself on top of him, crushing her body against his. Not expecting this in the slightest, Shinji let out a surprised yell, and nearly swore, but Asuka began speaking then.

"God, you can be so air headed sometimes Shinji."

Looking up at her, Shinji saw that she was straddling his waste now, though a heavy frown was on her face.

"I thought you went to sleep," repeated Shinji, not sure how they ended up in this position.

"I've been lying awake up here, waiting for you for the past two hours you damn idiot!"

"...Oh," mumbled Shinji.

"Thats all you can say?"

"...Sorry."

Losing her patience, Asuka started pounding her fists against his chest, repeatedly calling him an idiot, airhead, and blockhead. Shinji's protests didn't stop her, and finally he grabbed her shoulders, and flipped her around on the bed so that their positions were reversed.

"Get off me," grumbled Asuka.

"Make me," grinned Shinji.

Asuka tried just that, though it proved much more difficult now that Shinji understood what was happening. They tussled like that on the bed for multiple minutes, switching positions constantly and pinning the other down. Finally, Shinji gave in after around the sixth time and let Asuka win. He wasn't tired, but Asuka was so stubborn that she would have continued until she passed out from tiredness. Even so, with her face slightly glistening in sweat, Asuka didn't bother getting off of him, and collapsed upon his chest.

"I win," said Asuka, panting lightly while laying upon him.

"If you say so," sighed Shinji.

"Somehow, the way you said that makes me angry. So, you understand now?"

Shinji didn't say anything, though he did. Essentially, when Asuka said she was going to sleep, she wanted Shinji to come up with her.

"You could have asked you know?" mumbled Shinji.

"And you could have understood," said Asuka. "Well, whatever."

Letting out a sigh, Asuka breathed heavily into his chest, and then exhaled. His sent filled her nostrils, reminding her that he was here with her.

"Asuka is it alright if I get up?"

"...I don't want you to."

"I'm not going to sleep wearing pants."

"...Fine," said Asuka, though she didn't seem to like this change.

Removing his pants and pulling on some shorts over his boxers, Shinji didn't notice that Asuka didn't even bother looking away, but just crawled to the head of the bed, and rested her head on a pillow, waiting for him to get in bed.

Slipping under the covers next to Asuka, Shinji yawned, and then looked over at Asuka to see her grinning widely.

"I thought you were tired?" asked Shinji.

"I still am, though this is funny in its on way. Plus I'm thinking about tomorrow."

"Yeah, I am too I suppose."

Moving herself closer to Shinji, Asuka looked across to him and said, "I think I missed this as well."

"Isn't this normal now?"

"I was talking about the bed," smirked Asuka.

Shinji was glad to know that she was in a good mood, though he wished she could letup on the teasing a bit. She'd already given him hell earlier in the day afterall.

"Well...this has its own plus. Anyway, night Shinji."

"Yeah, night Asu-"

Though Asuka was leaning against him, she wasn't directly parallel with him, and instead was looking up towards him. Shinji, who had already started drifting off to sleep at this point, was hardly paying attention to the conversation, and his consciousness was starting to waver. When Asuka's lips made contact with his cheek though, it woke him up immensely.

Looking down at her, he saw that Asuka's face was pressed firmly against his chest, hiding whatever expression she was making. Her cheek was in full view though, and Shinji was tempted to reply to her in kind, though he settled for resting his head against her own. He wasn't sure if she had expected something else, but this was at most what he felt like doing.

'I feel like I've been lead around by her all day,' thought Shinji, sighing internally.

Whether that was true or not, they had finally found a new house, with an entirely new environment. Shinji didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but he was excited for it nonetheless.


	23. Intensity

**Feel like I'm on a bit of a roll lately, so continuing with that, here's another chapter. Likely gonna be another chapter this month, if possible sometime around Christmas, but I've got some stuff to say at the end of anyway.**

* * *

><p>The next day started bright and early, though when Shinji first got up, he had briefly forgotten where he was. Memories of the previous day surged back into his mind, and that was when he saw the small lump sleeping beside him. During the night, Asuka had apparently turned away from him, and pulled most of the covers over to her side. Well, this wasn't the first time this had happened, so Shinji wasn't put off by it.<p>

Being careful not to wake her as he stepped out of bed, he quietly put some pants on, and left the room. Sunlight streamed through the windows along the hallway as he walked towards the stairs, and he briefly stopped and looked out them. Seeing the edge of the tree line, he decided that he'd venture through them later today, but first came breakfast.

Walking downstairs and out onto the back patio, he reheated the rice they hadn't finished yesterday, and started a pot a tea of as well. Sitting on one of the wicker chairs, he sipped his tea slowly, waiting in part for the rice to finish, and for Asuka to wake up. Briefly, he thought about the kiss last night. Though it had only been on the cheek, there was a certain tenderness to it that was conveyed through Asuka's feelings. There was a lot of things left unsaid between them, but Shinji wasn't in any hurry to rush things. Things were progressing smoothly enough, and he didn't want to screw things up somehow.

While starting on his own bowl, the sliding glass door opened, revealing Asuka, who still didn't seem to be fully awake.

"Morning," Shinji said brightly, though all he got out of her was a low grunt. After handing her a bowl of rice and a cup of tea though, she started waking up.

"So what's the plan for today?" asked Asuka between mouthfuls.

"The obvious thing is to go into town and stock up on food. Other than that, I wanted to walk through the group of trees over there, and the neighborhood in general," said Shinji, gesturing with his spoon. "And I need to get firewood as well I suppose."

"Did you want to drive around, or...?"

"It doesn't seemed like there's much around here, so walking should be fine. I can get the firewood later."

"Sounds good to me."

After finishing breakfast, Asuka went upstairs and grabbed herself a sweatshirt, the one that she had carried from Tokyo-3. Shinji of course went without one, being content in jeans and a t-shirt.

Leaving from the sliding door, they walked to the edge of the driveway where their car was still parked, and had to decide which way to go. From the driveway, they could see that the road curved left slightly passed their house, and then went slopping further downwards. More driveways leading to different houses poked out from groups of trees, but Shinji and Asuka decided to take the other road.

Walking to the front of the house, they walked up the circular driveway, and looked down the road. They had missed it before, but there was another house directly across from them. It was hidden so well by the trees in their front yard, and the trees around it, that even if you drove passed it, there was no guarantee you would see it. Pine needles covered the road leading up, and it seemed that sunlight never pierced through the close row of trees that surrounded the house. It was difficult to imagine somebody had even lived there at one point.

Ignoring this house for now, they walked further down the road. More houses entered their vision, one with a circular driveway such as theirs, though with a house significantly smaller. Two large trees towered in the front yard, and on either side, more trees surrounded it. The house was an even lighter gray than theirs, though this might have been weatherworn from the rain. Something that sparked Shinji's interest though, was the white truck within the front driveway. It wasn't large by any means, but it could certainly hold a sizable amount of firewood.

Making a mental note for later, they walked on. The road continued straight, with trees rising on all sides of them, and it wasn't until they rounded a corner that they saw another house on their right, as well as the end of the road. The house was far back in a clearing, but had a fence directly up against the road made of wood. The driveway was at the end of the road, with tall hedgerows surrounding it on either side, as well as an iron gate at the entrance which was wide open.

Walking up the narrow driveway, they soon crossed a small bridge that had a small creak running under it, and the pond on their right which seemed to be the source. The house was different than the others they had seen, the foundation being made of brick, and the dark brown siding, along with the black roofing. Along the right side was a porch, raised several feet off the ground since the house was built on a slope. The back side of the house had a small barn, surrounded by more trees, but to the right side of the porch, was a swimming pool. Asuka would have liked to have dove right in, but it was covered by a tarp, and Shinji reminded her that it would likely need to be cleaned.

Briefly thinking about entering the house, they instead doubled back to their own home, though Asuka pointed out that if they wanted to get everything done with today, they'd best skip the other road. Shinji didn't think so, but resigned to her when she started to get testy.

After stopping inside their own house for a brief moment, they made their way towards the edge of the tree line behind their own house. Peering through the trees, they couldn't see anything but darkness, and wondered how far the trees went, or if they never stopped until the other side of the mountain.

While exploring the edge though, Asuka found what seemed to be a path that looked as though it hadn't been used in a while. Weeds and grass grew on either side, but their was a distinct trail through the brush. Glancing over at Shinji, he shrugged once, before leading the way.

If the trail had once been well tended, it was no longer. As they reached further into the dense forest, the foliage on either side of them grew denser and denser so that soon Shinji was wishing he had a pair of clippers with him. Asuka was even starting to complain about the branches that were getting caught in her hair, though when Shinji suggested they turn back, she just tucked her hair into her sweatshirt, and barreled on.

When they were so far away from the house that it felt like they had been walking for an hour or so, Shinji finally stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards Asuka, knowing that turning around was the only option they had. Asuka on the other hand, walked passed him, hardly seeing him, peering through the trees because she had seen a streak of sunlight. Following her slowly at first, Shinji saw what her eyes had seen, and minutes later, they burst out into a sizable clearing.

The clearing was circular, and large enough that Shinji could just barely see the trees on the other side. The grass was long, but here and there were spots that were flattened out, suggesting that an animal frequently came this way and rolled around in the grass. Taking several steps further into the clearing, Asuka suddenly lay down, flattening a large patch of grass. She was grinning slightly, and patted to the side next to her, suggesting that Shinji do they same.

"I'd rather not," said Shinji. "You know that you'll get all itchy that way Asuka."

She didn't seem to care, because she grabbed Shinji's hand, and pulled him down on top of her. As the sun came out from behind the clouds, Shinji saw Asuka's face bathed in sunlight, and even he couldn't help but grin.

"This place is nice," said Asuka, their face mere inches apart.

"Yeah," mumbled Shinji.

"So...are you going to continue crushing me like this?"

Though she said this, Asuka didn't seem to care one way or another if he got off her, and Shinji suddenly wanted to kiss her, if nothing more than to wipe the smirk of her face. Instead he rolled off her, and sat directly next to her. Asuka let out a low sigh as though she had been expecting something, but she also had to remind herself that this was Shinji she was talking to.

Still, as Asuka sat up and looked around this area, she realized that though the tall grass made for a good cushion, it blocked most of the scenery of the area. She imagined that this place used to be well kept at one point, but since a little more than six months passed since Third Impact, it wasn't surprising that this place had grown out of control. But she did suddenly have an idea.

"Hey Shinji?"

"Whats up?"

"Any chance you could fulfill a selfish request of mine?"

"...Maybe," said Shinji slowly, wondering what on earth Asuka wanted him to do.

"I can understand if you don't want to do it...but, could you flatten the grass in this entire area with your AT-field...or is that too much to ask?"

Shinji hadn't expected this request for her, and she was right in that it was selfish, but Shinji suddenly burst out laughing at her words.

"Why are you laughing!?" said Asuka, feeling embarrassed. "I know its a dumb question, but the tall grass is ruining the view. Sorry if I said too much but..."

Asuka let her words trail off, feeling glum and rather dejected, looking down at her knees.

"Haha, sorry that I was laughing," said Shinji gaining control of himself. "Its just not something I would have expected."

"...So you wont do it?" mumbled Asuka.

"Well, I didn't say that, and I kinda like the idea anyway. Somehow makes me feel that for whatever reason I have this ability, I'm not using it as it was intended for, which is fine by me. Besides, I've wondered if my range has changed at all."

"So you will?"

"Yeah."

Throwing her arms up into the air, Asuka turned towards him and brought him into as strong a hug that her small body could muster. Still, Shinji wasn't exactly well built, and felt his bones groaning.

"Asuka, you're killing me."

She simply grinned as she drew away from him, and Shinji momentarily thought she was going to kiss him, when instead she stood up.

"Whenever you're ready," said Asuka, still smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, and stand a good ways away from me. Though I've said it before-"

"You don't want anything happening to me, I know," Asuka said, finishing his sentence.

"It's been a while though since you've been this close to me when I used it..."

"Like I've said a hundred times before, I trust you Shinji."

"...Right," mumbled Shinji.

With Asuka a good distance behind, Shinji examined the field. If he was honest with himself, he really didn't think he could do this in one go. Creating a dome was a similar application to what he was about to do, but that was a much smaller, condensed form. Of course he didn't want to cut the grass completely down against the soil, so first he had to decide where he wanted the level to be essentially.

Next came the precision. While removing cars from the freeways and highways, Shinji was careful to the utmost, but there was nothing precise about smashing his AT-field into a hunk of metal. Rather, it was short of brute force. A blade of grass was a very small and narrow thing, smaller than his thumbnail. Cutting something like that, and thousands of them at once, would be much more difficult than just throwing his AT-field against an object.

Gathering himself, a gust of wind came down into the clearly where they stood, blowing both his hair, and Asuka's hair around. With the swaying of the grass, it almost looked like ripples on the ocean. As the wind subsided, Shinji swung his arm outward, projecting his AT-field.

From Shinji as the focal point, the flash of orange exploded outward, covering the field in an eerie orange flash momentarily. Flowers that were outside his field of vision sprung up in the air, being directed by the wind and flew off into the air. The grass was immediately severed falling to the ground, and though he heard words from Asuka, he glanced down at his right hand.

Though he had long grown accustomed to his AT-field, and was able to use it well enough, there was still plenty that he felt he could improve upon. It wasn't something that he enjoyed, but he had become more willing to use it, especially since he felt that using it in these menial matters somehow deprived whatever the reason he had acquired this power. There were still plenty of applications he felt could be applied to his AT-field, and while he didn't feel there was much point in experimenting with them, he still felt like he should. He couldn't say he was thrilled with this ability, but if it helped protect Asuka, then it was fine.

"Oi! Are you listening to me!"

Not realizing that Asuka had been trying to talk to him this entire time, Shinji looked up and saw that she was directly in front of him, and that she was tapping his cheek lightly with the palm of her hand.

"Damn it say something idiot!"

"Sorry, was thinking about something. What did you say?"

Asuka frowned at him and said, "You missed a spot."

Shinji glanced over his shoulder and saw that she was right. The far edge of the field had not been flattened, and the grass still stood.

'Looks like this is my current range,' thought Shinji.

"Well, that was still pretty surprising," said Asuka.

"I'm going to assume that you don't want me to fix that," said Shinji gesturing towards the one spot he missed.

"I'm not that mean," said Asuka as she stuck her tongue out at him. Very slowly though, she approached him and hugged him tightly, pressing her body against his.

"Thanks for this Shinji."

"...Don't mention it," mumbled Shinji, aware of all of Asuka's curves against his body.

* * *

><p>Afterwards, they remained there a short while, and started walking back. As Shinji walked, he briefly thought about making the return walk easier by carving a path through the brush with his AT-field, but he knew that he'd have more to do later, which he couldn't very well ignore.<p>

When they returned, Asuka suggested that they take a short rest, and then go into town for groceries. While Shinji would have liked to accompany her, he decided to collect the firewood while she was gone, and after telling her this, Asuka simply frowned and said, "And how do you plan or bringing it here? You're not going to cut any trees down around our house." Shinji simply told her that he had an idea, and left it at that. Asuka seemed skeptical, but didn't mention it again, only telling him to be careful when she left for town, driving the station wagon.

After she left, Shinji gathered up his backpack and stored a couple things inside and left the house, walking towards the house where he had spotted the white truck earlier in the day. The front door was locked, and though he kicked it several times it didn't budge. Thinking that he may try a window, he walked around the house but all of them were closed firmly. Eventually, he decided to just bisect the door with his AT-field, being careful to not project his AT-field farther than the door.

Stepping over the remains of the broken door, he looked up at the vaulted ceiling in the house. The living room was to his left, complete with couch, bookshelf, and T.V. Shinji was glad they hadn't looked at this house before, as it didn't seem to have a fireplace. The floor was wood tiled on the first floor, and the second floor was carpeted white, and all the walls were white as well.

Walking into the kitchen to the right of the front door, he began opening drawers until he found a drawer with many sets of keys inside it. Grabbing all of them, he left the house, and tried the trucks door, expecting it to be locked. It opened easily, and he climbed into the driver seat, trying all the different keys. He was glad to see it was an automatic, so it wouldn't be difficult to drive at least. Shinji still didn't think he'd ever drive the station wagon, and Asuka seemed content with it that way, but he supposed he'd need to learn to drive eventually.

Finding the right key, he turned it, and the engine spluttered multiple times before the truck finally started. Putting it in drive, Shinji carefully turned the wheel and tapped the gas pedal. It had far more power then he had at first expect, and he jolted forward suddenly.

'This may take some time to get used to,' he thought.

Carefully driving down the road, he passed their house, and turned left, driving up the steep hill to the top. At the top of the hill, he decided to take a right, driving further into the dense forest. Taking a left would mean driving towards town, and Shinji didn't want start cutting trees down that way if he could help it.

The truck had plenty of gas in it, so Shinji didn't need to worry about that, but he was still very careful whenever he turned a corner. Asuka would have likely already complained twice about his driving, but Shinji rather enjoyed this slow pace. He had the window rolled down on his side and was humming softly to himself.

After driving for a good while, and with no end in sight of the road still, Shinji found as likely a spot as any to get out. Pulling off onto a gravel shoulder, he stepped out of the truck, and looked at the trees on either side of the road. The Japanese always prided themselves in the beauty which their country held, and were overly self conscious about affecting the environment, since Japan was an island afterall. Their gardens were among the most beautiful in the world, and even this simple area surrounded by rows and rows of trees, Shinji had to pause and marvel at them for a while. Still, it wasn't possible for them to live without a fuel source, both for cooking and warmth, so cutting these down were the only option.

The road cut its way through a hillside, and though on the left, the hills sloped upwards, to the right where Shinji was looking, it gently sloped downwards. Thinking further into the future for what may come later, Shinji decided that it would be better to create a sort of logging trail for an easier access point. He couldn't just keep cutting trees down on the side of the road indefinitely after all, and the further away the truck was, meant the more difficult it would be to haul the lumber back.

Choosing a certain spot in a gap of the tree line, Shinji began working slowly against the forest. The forest lacked the intense brush like the place behind their house did, and was largely flat after going down the gentle slope. Carving a path out with his AT-field, Shinji alternated between driving his truck forward, and cutting down trees when he couldn't simply drive around them. The trees themselves were large enough within their own right, and multiple times he had to project his AT-field around himself and the truck to prevent the truck from being crushed, but all in all, it wasn't difficult.

After cutting down plenty of trees, and splitting the larger chunks into firewood, Shinji stopped the truck in a small clearing. As he examined the area, he decided that this was a good place to branch out from, both north, west, and east. He was far enough from the road that when he looked back towards where he came, he couldn't see any sign of it. The truck was already half full of firewood at this point, but Shinji decided to expand the clearing further, though this wasn't his only reason either.

Leaning against the truck, he slowly sipped water from the bottle he had stored in his backpack, thinking about what he could do to improve his AT-field. Power wasn't a problem, and in all likely hood, as Shinji matured and grew in his ability, this would only increase. So far, he could use the dome, the basic wall, and simply projecting it outward, destroying everything in its path. In the past, back in Tokyo-2, he had tried a myriad of other things, none of which had been successful. Misshapen shapes came to his mind, and objects that were similar to actual weapons, but these all seemed silly.

It wasn't just the application of the AT-field though, but also Shinji's precision in using it, as well as his reaction time. Precision was one thing which he felt could very easily be improved upon, but Shinji's own reaction time was a different matter. As it stood, projecting his AT-field outward often had the feeling of throwing a baseball at supersonic speeds, but there was still the problem of 'throwing.' First Shinji had to recognize the situation in which he needed to use his AT-field, and then react to that situation, projecting his AT-field outward. Recognizing took one second, and then the reacting took another. Two seconds in which an innumerable amount of things could go wrong. Shinji wanted to reach the state where the two seconds didn't exist.

Ultimately, the 'throwing' was the main problem. The concept of what an AT-field was, was still difficult for Shinji to understand. It was a part of his being, who he was, but he had long negated that part and ignored it for the most part. In theory, it was always with him, just waiting to be used. When he did use it, his own arm acted as something of an extension, directing his AT-field to wherever he needed it. This was the 'throwing' part, which troubled Shinji. Instead of suppressing his AT-field, and only calling upon it when needed, by unconsciously being able to use it at all times, he'd be able to eliminate those two seconds.

That being said, putting it into practical use would be far more difficult than Shinji even knew. But before he even considered working on that, there were other things he could focus on.

Putting his water back into the truck, he started cutting down the rest of the trees, experimenting as he did so. For a while now, he'd wondered if the AT-field was a single entity, or if it could multiplied, split in two, so to speak. Try as he might though, he couldn't split his AT-field into two separate halves, and wondered if it was possible at all, or if he was still not use to it enough. He hadn't used it this heavily since his initial discovery and training in December. Even the cars on the highways had been boring tedious work for the most part, but he was actually taking the time to think of these new things.

Besides this though, the other thing he always wondered, 'was the AT-field merely energy, or did it have a certain solid substance to it?' Either could create destruction of course, but knowing that the AT-field was solid could prove useful.

Pausing while in the middle of cutting down trees within the clearing, Shinji projected his AT-field in front of him, creating a platform, which was really just the wall turned on its side. Raising his foot upright, he almost expected it to be shorn clean off, but he surprisingly felt it make contact with the flashy orange surface. It was much how he imagined standing on water might feel. Placing his other foot on his AT-field, he stood upright on it bouncing up and down slightly, testing the weight. It didn't seem to break as long as he kept it projected, though he could see this quickly draining him if kept like this. Still...

Glancing up at the treetops above him, he wondered if something like that would be possible. Pondering about this for several seconds, he decided on his course of action, and jumped as high as his legs would allow him. Maybe because of his AT-field, or because of his heightened physical abilities, he soared far further than he had anticipated. Scrambling to create another platform, he misjudged the projection, and instead of landing safely on another platform, he fell back to the ground after rising almost two stories. Predictably, his legs snapped from under him. Pain wasn't anything new to him, but his scream still leaked out in the clearing, echoing in the silence around him.

From his laying position on the ground, he propped himself on his elbows, and glanced down at his legs. The ground was softer than pavement or concrete, but this wasn't able to stop the bone sticking out of his ankle at an odd angle. Letting himself fall back to the ground, he swore briefly, wishing he hadn't fucked up so badly. It wasn't like it would take long to heal, but the fact that he had screwed up over something that seemed rather simple made him angry.

It just proved how much he still had to learn with regards to his AT-field.

* * *

><p>While Shinji was doing all of this, Asuka had already entered the town, gone to the grocery store, and was on her way back. She had stocked up all sorts of things from canned goods, to salt, spices, and water. She had been a bit worried about the smell inside the store, but nearly everything within the produce and meat department had long degraded, so it wasn't that bad. There was still plenty of supplies left before they'd even have to consider finding a new store, so they didn't have to worry about that.<p>

Asuka didn't spend much time driving around the small town, but after finishing her business at the store, had driven almost straight home. She was beginning to get back into the motions of life such as they had had in Tokyo-2, and was even considering to offer to cook dinner tonight.

While driving along the road passed the many rows of trees though, Asuka's thoughts turned towards Shinji. Reflecting back on the goodnight kiss she gave him last night, Asuka didn't feel nearly as embarrassed now as she had then; it even felt somewhat normal. She felt like her relationship with Shinji was a constantly changing and evolving thing as they both continued exploring the boundaries. Well, somethings were still very well outside the realm of possibility.

'I wonder how much longer this will continue though?' wondered Asuka. They were playing a back and forth game it felt, almost attempting to one up the other each time. Its was kinda childish, but Asuka didn't mind it.

Taking a right on their road, Asuka let the car coast down the hill before pulling into their driveway. Gathering up her backpack first, and then several plastic bags filled with food, Asuka walked around the patio and opened the sliding glass door.

"Shinji, you here?"

She waited several seconds before assuming he wasn't, and then started storing everything in the kitchen. He'd said he would take care of the firewood today, so he was probably still doing that. Shrugging it off, Asuka went into the study, found herself a likely book, and then walked upstairs to the bedroom. Sliding under the covers, she started reading, but now that she was back at home, found it more difficult to concentrate knowing that Shinji wasn't here. This had often happened to her when Shinji would take his late night walks in Tokyo-2, but it felt more pronounced now. It was a testament to how far her feelings had come since then.

While waiting for him, she began dozing lightly while under the warm covers, and woke up with a start when she heard the honk of some unknown car outside the bedroom window. Rolling out of bed, she glanced out the window and saw a white truck parked next to their station wagon, with Shinji stepping out of the driver seat. The back was filled to the top with splintered firewood.

Walking down stairs, Asuka opened the side door to the garage just as Shinji opened the large door manually from the outside.

"Been back long?" asked Shinji when he saw her.

"An hour maybe. I fell asleep while waiting for you. Is this the same truck that we saw earlier while walking around the neighborhood?"

"Yeah. I figured it would be better to have something larger to gather firewood, plus you aren't the only one that can drive now."

"But you still can't drive the station wagon," Asuka reminded him.

"True," shrugged Shinji as he started towards the truck to unload the firewood.

"Need any help?" asked Asuka.

"Nah, I got it. Besides, most of these trees were covered in sap, so I don't suppose you'd want to get your hands and clothes sticky."

"I don't mind," said Asuka as she rolled her sleeves up to help him.

With two people, it went far quicker, and after changing and washing their hands, they sat in front of the fireplace with the new firewood roaring in the grate.

"How was the grocery store?" asked Shinji.

"Fine. I got plenty of food and more water. The place should last us for a while I think. Though I want to know where you went for all that firewood. It looks as though you cut down about thirty trees."

'You aren't far off,' thought Shinji. Clearing his throat, he said, "I decided to create my own path into the forest farther up the road, and then found a clearing which I guess is gonna be the main place I get the firewood from now on."

"Any problems?"

"Nope," said Shinji hoping that his face didn't reveal anything, but Asuka seemed to believe him.

"Thats good," said Asuka with a sigh.

Leaning against Shinji, she caught a mixture of sap and pine leaves mixed in with his scent. It was pleasant to say the least.

"Asuka..."

"Hmm?"

"Its a bit warm for this right now."

"Well, we can go upstairs where its colder if you want to."

Whether she had intend it or not, the tone in Asuka's voice almost seemed like she was trying to seduce Shinji.

"No, if I get under the covers, I'm probably gonna fall asleep," said Shinji, hoping that his voice didn't sound strained.

"Then stay like this," grumbled Asuka.

"Fine," said Shinji, giving into her demand.

Shortly later though, while sitting in silence, Shinji's head dropped to the side, and he fell asleep. When Asuka saw this, she tutted softly in annoyance. She wasn't sure if Shinji had over exerted himself, but she was annoyed that he had fallen asleep with hardly a mention. Now she did wish that they were upstairs instead of here.

Glancing over at his sleeping face, she felt a wide variety of emotions assault her. She knew what they were by now, but that didn't make them any easier to act on. Shinji was sleeping now though, so right now would be the perfect time to...

Asuka bit her lips and shook her head. What was she thinking? Shinji was sleeping right now, so that would mean Asuka was taking advantage of the situation. But still, the opportunity was practically presenting itself to her.

Biting her lips again, she glanced around, almost expecting somebody to be watching her, but this was a stupid thought. Looking back at Shinji's face, her eyes were drawn to his lips, slightly parted.

'Am I really going to,' wondered Asuka, but even as she thought this, her face drew closer to him. It wasn't something difficult like when she had to learn to drive a stick shift, just a quick skin to skin contact. Nothing more than exchanging pleasantries with people in certain countries. Asuka couldn't think of it as anything other than a kiss however. Even as she drew nearer to him, she told herself that this wasn't right, that what she was doing was wrong. But reasoning was thrown out the window and replaced by emotions fueled by her hormones. She could feel Shinji's breath on her face now as she drew nearer. Any second now, her lips would make contact with his and then it'd be over. Afterwards, she'd feel horrible about the whole ordeal, but at this moment she didn't care.

Just as their lips almost touched though, Shinji stirred slightly, and Asuka froze, thinking that he was about to awake. He did no such thing however, but tilted his face to the side briefly. Asuka felt everything draining out of her, as the reasoning part of her brain kicked back into gear. She could very well still follow through with this still, but she felt so disgusted with herself that she instead placed her head gently against his chest. This wasn't how it was supposed to be; it wouldn't matter if they both weren't aware of it.

'I'm starting to lose myself,' thought Asuka bitterly.

After this, Asuka kept her distance from Shinji for the reminder of his nap, determined to not let her hormones act up again. She was in such turmoil over her actions that she didn't even realize when Shinji woke up. She had retired to the bedroom, trying to keep her thoughts to herself, but when Shinji stepped into the bedroom, she was reminded again of what she had nearly done.

"I was surprised to see that you were up here and not down in the living room when I woke up," started Shinji.

"Sorry, you were sleeping so peacefully that I didn't want to wake you," lied Asuka.

"I kinda wish you had. I think I slept longer than I should have, its get close to evening now. Did you want to have dinner now, or wait a while longer?"

"Whatever works," said Asuka.

Shinji raised an eyebrow, wondering if something had happened that he didn't know about, since Asuka seemed abrasive for some reason, but he didn't say anything.

"Okay. Well, I'll start dinner in an hour or so."

"Right," mumbled Asuka.

When Shinji left, Asuka buried herself further under the covers, trying to drown out everything. While she could drown out the sounds of everything around her, she couldn't drown out her own thoughts pounding in her mind. Her entire body was throbbing with a certain feeling that she didn't know how to describe. Quite suddenly though, horror struck as she felt something seeping between her legs. Throwing the covers off herself in one fluid motion she stared down at the sheets and the shorts which she had been wearing.

'You're kidding me,' thought Asuka, as she stared at the dark red spot staining the white sheets. She understood what had happened, but that didn't make her feel any better about it. She again felt disgusted with herself, but more so because she had been thinking about Shinji throughout it all. There was no way she would let him find out about this; she'd burn the sheets before that.

Changing out of both her shorts and underwear, she cleaned herself thoroughly, and then removed the sheets from the bed, bundling them up and throwing them in a far back corner of the closet. She'd dispose of them first chance she got, without letting Shinji know. Thankfully, there was a spare in the closet that she was able to use that didn't look any different from the one she had soiled.

With that said and done though, there was the reality of what had happened. Asuka had heard plenty about this from Misato, who had explained everything to the best of her awkward ability. Having it actually happen to her was a different matter however.

Sitting back on the bed, Asuka sank into a depressed state. Her thoughts regarding Shinji, her uncontrollable hormones, and now this pain. Everything swirled around in her mind until she wanted to scream. She didn't care whether Shinji heard her or not, she just wanted to relieve these pent up feelings. But she didn't, because that would mean answering the questions that came with it.

After about an hour passed, Asuka heard Shinji calling her from downstairs. Dinner was apparently ready, but Asuka was in no mood to eat, or see him for that matter. Sure enough though, she heard Shinji's feet walking along the hallway, and she tried to feign sleep.

"Asuka, did you hear me?" asked Shinji from the doorway.

Asuka didn't say anything for several seconds until she finally muttered, "Not hungry."

Shinji frowned, though Asuka didn't see this. Instead, he walked further into the road and asked, "You aren't sick are you? Maybe you caught something while shopping."

"I'm fine," Asuka said, her voice tense.

"Whats wrong then?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"That clearly isn't the case."

"Leave me alone Shinji!"

Shinji sighed, but instead of leaving, he sat down on the bed beside her. Gently, he rested his hand on the spot where her head was, buried under the covers. But Asuka shook him off none to gently.

'Somethings clearly wrong, but she doesn't want to tell me,' thought Shinji. He had hoped they had gone beyond this stage, but it looked like whatever was troubling Asuka, was just that problematic.

"I'll bring up your dinner then, if you don't want to eat it downstairs."

Saying this, Shinji left and then brought her up a plate, setting it down on the nightstand beside her. Leaving the bedroom, he shut the door, and only when Asuka was sure that Shinji's feet had descended downstairs, did she sit up, and look at the food. She ate frantically, and then covered herself under the blankets again.

She knew she couldn't keep this up, and it was only a matter of time before Shinji came upstairs again, but until then, she'd have to come up with a reasonable lie. She couldn't tell him the truth.

Not yet, at any rate.

* * *

><p>Hours passed by, and still Shinji hadn't come back upstairs. Asuka was beginning to worry that she might have pushed him away more than she had intended. She debated with herself whether to leave the sanctuary of her covers, or to remain here for the rest of the night. It couldn't have been later than nine o'clock, so he would almost certainly still be awake.<p>

'Unless he decided to sleep in the other room,' a voice in Asuka's mind told her.

Somehow, this was even more unpleasant than Asuka had imagined. While Asuka wasn't sure how well she'd react with Shinji beside her for another night, if he had decided to sleep in the guest room because of how she had acted, she wasn't sure if she could forgive herself.

No matter how much Asuka told herself she didn't want to see him however, the truth was that she did, so much that it was a constant ache in her chest. It was like something was building up slowly, and felt like it would burst within her at any moment.

Shrugging the covers off herself, she stood up and looked out the window beside the bed. The sky was clear, and the moon was out, bathing their house in whitish moonlight.

Leaving the bedroom, she walked down the hallway, and opened the door to the guest room. They'd hardly stepped into the room since they had moved in yesterday, and it was more or less another place for storage. The bed was clearly unoccupied, and hadn't been touched at all.

Closing the door, Asuka slowly stepped downstairs, pausing on the landing. She could hear the crackling of the fireplace from the living room, but no sound of Shinji. No shifting of legs, or the turning of a page in the book he was reading.

Hurrying the rest of the way down the stairs, she looked into the study quickly, before rounding the corner. The living room was predictably empty, and the kitchen was too. Fearing that something may be horribly wrong, Asuka nearly threw the sliding door open, thinking to check whether the white truck was here or not. If it wasn't, then Asuka's world would likely come crashing down along with everything. Before she could take less than three steps in that direction, a voice came from the direction of the whicker chairs.

"Oh, decided to leave the bedroom I see."

Asuka whirled around, and saw Shinji sitting there in one of the chairs. He had a book in one hand, and a cup raised nearly to his lips with steam coming off the top. He was reading by moonlight, but this was such a drastic change, that for a moment, Asuka didn't know how to respond.

"Do you want one?" asked Shinji, gesturing to the kettle beside the fire. "There's still plenty left."

Asuka felt herself nodding, though she felt disconnected from her own body.

Taking the cup that Shinji passed her, Asuka continued standing there, unsure of what to do. She was gazing down into the cup, able to see her own reflection in the tea thanks to the moonlight. Her expression was impossible to read, but even without the tea, there was a warmth that was slowly spreading throughout her body.

"You can sit you know," mumbled Shinji, still looking at his book. "Or did you plan to go back upstairs again?"

"...No I'll sit," mumbled Asuka, speaking up.

She sat down and sipped her tea slowly. The ice within her was beginning to thaw, but her outer body was assaulted by a wave of cold as a breeze blew across the patio. Shivering slightly, she sipped her tea again, and then looked over at Shinji, who was offering her a blanket.

"Here, take it."

"...What about you?"

"You should know by now that cold doesn't really affect me. Besides, I brought that out here for you anyway."

Asuka took this to mean that Shinji had the foresight to assume she would eventually come to him, given enough time. It annoyed her slightly, but it just showed how much he understood her.

"So...you've been waiting for me?"

"More or less," said Shinji idly as he turned a page. "Did you want to talk?"

"...No, I can't," said Asuka quietly.

"Is this a won't, or that you really can't?"

"I told you I can't, so I can't," said Asuka, her anger flaring up.

"Okay, okay. Well, at least you seem to be in a better mood. I was wondering if I had done something to piss you off, though I really couldn't think of anything."

"No, it isn't anything like that," said Asuka, shaking her head.

"I see."

Shinji continued reading his book, and Asuka slowly drank her tea, stealing glancing over at Shinji. She was this close, and yet seemed so far at the same time. She wondered if Shinji understood what was happening, if it was happening to him as well. He could be incredibly dense at times, but even he must have some inkling about what was happening between them. Both fifteen, and in the midst of puberty: it was like fate was just waiting to strike.

"Hey Shinji?" asked Asuka suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Can I sit next to you?"

Glancing over at her, Shinji said, "Aren't you already sitting beside me?"

"No, that isn't what I meant."

Standing up, Asuka walked in front of where Shinji was sitting, gesturing for him to scoot over. Shinji didn't think this was reasonable, and though the chairs were larger than he was, fitting two people on it seemed impossible.

"Asuka this won't work. If you want to go inside, we can, but-"

"Than we can just do this instead."

Throwing the blanket at him, it struck Shinji in the face, covering his vision momentarily. Struggling to pull it off, he felt a pressure pressing down on his legs. Pulling the blanket off, his eyes were staring right back into Asuka's ocean blue ones, directly in front of him. Almost falling over backwards in his surprise, Asuka began laughing, but corrected herself after noticing that if he fell over backwards, she would follow him. After steadying the chair, Shinji looked back at her, surprised that Asuka would be sitting in his lap in such a fashion.

"This isn't exactly comfortable," stated Shinji.

"You have a point," said Asuka, clearly uncomfortable herself. Asuka was sitting on Shinji's lap facing him, meaning that his legs were between hers. In reality, it was more uncomfortable for Asuka, for obvious reasons, though Shinji's discomfort was in more ways than one.

"Lets do this then," said Asuka.

Turning around, she sat on Shinji's legs with hers off to the side. With this, it was more difficult for her to stay upright however. Scooting closer towards him, Shinji had to brace himself as Asuka's moved further up his legs, dangerously close to his crouch.

"There. This'll work," said Asuka brightly.

Shinji couldn't necessarily agree with her statement, but he held his tongue.

Leaning into his chest, Asuka let out a low sigh, and then looked out over the grass bathed in moonlight. As she did this, because of how she was balanced, she almost fell backwards off Shinji's lap, but he reflexively grabbed her waist, steading her.

"Thanks," said Asuka, her face slightly pink.

"Don't mention it," Shinji heard himself say.

They sat in silence for a while, looking across the yard and the moon above them. When Asuka began to shiver, Shinji picked the blanket off the ground that he had tossed earlier, and wrapped it around himself and Asuka. Mumbling her thanks, Asuka looked behind her, and saw that Shinji was looking off into the distance as though thinking. If she wanted to, right now would probably be a good opportunity to kiss him, but she was also content enough with the situation that she didn't require it.

"How long are we gonna stay like this?" asked Shinji.

"Why, do you not like this?"

"I wouldn't say that," Shinji muttered quietly, but he was thinking about his own self containment that was in jeopardy.

"Then every things fine," grinned Asuka.

"I can't very well read like this though."

'How can he be wanting to read that stupid book of his right now," groaned Asuka inwardly.

"You can do that any old time."

"Can't the same be said of this?"

Rounding on him, Shinji could clearly see that he had said the wrong thing, and that Asuka was not happy about it.

"...Sorry," mumbled Shinji. "I didn't mean it like that, just-"

"Just what?" asked Asuka, as she narrowed her eyes.

"Well, its not like we're gonna be separated anytime soon. So-"

Asuka had thoroughly had enough of Shinji's feebleness. Grabbing his cheek, she tugged roughly on it so that their faces were now level with each other. Again, this was ample opportunity to kiss him, and Asuka would have liked to see Shinji's reaction, but she was beginning to get annoyed with him.

"While that may be true Shinji, can you honestly say you're content with things as they are."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Shinji, you asked it once before, and so this time I'll ask it: what is our relationship currently?"

Two months ago, this would have been an easy question for Shinji to answer, even if back then, there was still a faint hesitancy, or wishful thinking of what things might become. Now he didn't know how to reply. They were still friends of course, but he didn't think simple friends acted the way they had begun to act around one another. More often than naught, Shinji had begun looking at Asuka in a different light, and was aware of his own desires towards her.

"Can't answer that? Or is it that you don't want to? Well, either way is fine honestly. I don't really care."

Asuka flat out lied here, and Shinji rather suspected it, but he said nothing. He wasn't sure if he should charge ahead with what his heart was telling him, or to hold back.

Asuka wasn't looking at him anymore however. There was an unanswerable question floating above both their heads, and she had mentioned it. Shinji obviously knew this as well, but hadn't said anything. If he had said something, Asuka wondered how she would have responded. Would they even still be sitting here, or would they be halfway up the stairs at this point? Or would everything just happen right here?

"I think I'm going to bed," said Asuka. Standing up, she looked down at Shinji and asked, "Well, are you coming, or are you going to continue reading your stupid book?"

Shinji wasn't looking at her, but was staring down at his own feet. Now that Asuka had removed herself from his lap, he wanted her back more than ever. If would be a simple thing to reach out and grab her by the waist, pulling her back towards him.

The silence persisted, and Asuka was about to just walk away from him when Shinji stood up.

"Yeah, I will."

They didn't say anything to each other as they walked upstairs and entered the bedroom. Asuka spent some time in the bathroom before getting under the covers and almost immediately rolled to her side of the bed, wrapping the blankets around herself. Shinji slowly changed into his sleepwear, and then hesitated before getting in bed. He didn't think Asuka was asleep, but she didn't roll over to sleep next to him like in the past.

As he lay awake thinking, Shinji realized that he couldn't leave things like this. Even if it was only another small step, he needed to do something.

Turning towards the lump that was Asuka, he called her name softly.

"Asuka, you awake?"

She didn't respond, but Shinji didn't think she could fall asleep that fast. They didn't really have an argument, but it felt like there was a road block between them right now.

"Asuka, I want to talk to you."

She didn't reply, but low breathing could be heard from her side of the bed now.

"Asuka!" Shinji said louder.

The breathing stopped, but still she didn't reply to him. Finally working himself up, Shinji moved to her side of the bed, and then pulled against her shoulder, turning her towards him. As he had assumed, she was awake, her eyes wide and staring back at him. Her hair was spread out beneath her, and Shinji could just barely make out her expression in the dim moonlight. She did not seem happy.

"What?" she asked harshly. "If you want to make more excuses, then leave it. I'm going to sleep."

Attempting to turn back over, Shinji kept his hand firmly on her shoulder, but gently. He couldn't say it, not now, at least. But he could still take another step forward at the very least.

Leaning over her, Shinji brought his face mere inches away from hers so that their foreheads were now touching. This happened so quickly, that Asuka didn't even have time to utter a sound. Moments later, he kissed her at the corner of her lips.

Just like that, it was over, and Shinji was moving away from her, but an electric spark had been triggered within Asuka's body. Maybe because of events earlier in the day, and how Asuka had been controlling herself as best as she could, but when Shinji's lips made contact with the corner of her own, her whole body tingled with pleasure. Fighting back at this point seemed altogether pointless.

Throwing aside her covers, she rolled over to Shinji, who had not been expecting this change, and wrapped her arms around his back, pressing her body against his. Her legs found his, and entwined themselves together, while Shinji was still trying to put two and two together. He himself was starting to lose self control, and was overly conscious of Asuka's budding breasts pressing against his chest.

Asuka looked up at him then. She was biting down on her lips in a seductive way, and Shinji very nearly kissed her directly then, but Asuka struck first. Since she was closer to his neck than his lips, she sank her teeth into the nape of his neck. Shinji's surprise at this was so pronounced that he almost struggled away from her, but Asuka held him there.

Still, it seemed that the white fog that had been enveloping Asuka's mind seemed to have subsided, and she was realizing what she had just done. Her face began to turn red, and she forced her head against Shinji's upper chest so hard that she almost pushed him off the bed. She was panting lightly, and was now in control over her hormones once again. If she had continued like that, it probably would only have been a matter of time...

"Um...Asuka?"

Asuka groaned loudly but didn't say anything; she seemed too embarrassed to speak right now. Her arms were no longer wrapped around his back, but were now resting against his chest.

In spite of what had just transpired, Shinji couldn't help but smile slightly. Asuka nuzzled her head against Shinji's chest slowly, until she finally began drifting off. When she finally had, Shinji placed his hand over the spot on his neck where she had bit. Most likely, there'd be a mark there tomorrow morning to remind Asuka of what she did, but Shinji knew better than to bring it up.

'Well, whatever,' thought Shinji. He bared some responsibility for this as well, since he had kissed her initially, though Asuka's reaction was unexpected. At the same time however, it explained a lot as well.

'I guess that just shows how strong her feelings are.'

Glancing down at her sleeping face that was still pressed against his chest, he whispered, "Goodnight Asuka," before kissing her softly on the forehead, and then shortly fell asleep himself.

* * *

><p><strong>So its very clear that the tension between Shinji and Asuka is reaching a certain point, but just to reiterate something I said a long while ago in SoA, I don't have any intention of making them have sex at their current age of fifteen. Take this as you will, though more will be explained in the next chapter.<strong>

**At the outset of Two of Us, I wanted to create a very stark contrast between how Shinji grew with his AT-field in SoA, and this. In SoA, he was largely fueled by anger, and grew thanks to his constant pressure by the people around him, and his interactions with the Evangelions and Angels. Without those things, his progression is much slower, but he is more in control. I'd describe Shinji in SoA as a street brawler that has no technique, and just throws haymaker after haymaker. **

**With that said, look forward to the next chapter.**


	24. Passion

**Merry Christmas, or Christmas eve as it turns out to be. Figured I'd post this on the 24th instead of tomorrow, considering that fanfiction was down Christmas day last year. Hard to believe its been a year since them as well. I'm gonna be talking about stuff at the end of this, but in the mean time, enjoy this rather suitable chapter.**

* * *

><p>It didn't require Asuka seeing the mark on Shinji's neck to make her blush furiously when she woke up. At some point during the night, Shinji must have managed to wrap both his arms around her, and Asuka didn't think it possible that she could be any closer to him. His chin was resting on top of her head, and their hips were crushed against one another. It didn't take long for the sleepiness to disappear from Asuka, when she felt something poking against her hips. Quick as a flash, she darted away from him upon realizing what it was. Shinji didn't wake up, but only breathed heavily, and then turned onto his side away from her.<p>

Asuka felt her heart pounding against her chest, and placed a hand over it to confirm the beating of her own heart. That had been a rather severe shock, but Asuka understood enough about male anatomy to know that it was a normal reaction early in the morning. That didn't make the feel of it pressing again her hips lessen anymore though.

Trying to shake off these thoughts, she changed into something more suitable, and then walked into the bathroom. Reaching into a far back corner of the closet, she grabbed the bundled up sheets that she had stored there yesterday, and then quietly left the bedroom.

She couldn't risk leaving them in the house, so that left the only option of driving someplace nearby, and leaving them there. She was feeling paranoid about the whole ordeal, but with realizing that they had come far closer last night to dangerous territory than she was comfortable with, she didn't want to take any chances.

Stepping into the station wagon, she carefully backed out of the driveway, and then drove further down the road. This was her first time driving past their house in this direction, so she took her time slowly, looking at the houses and the yards as she did. Choosing a house at random, she parked in front of the garage. She was thankful that the side door to the garage opened without a problem, and then secretly stored the sheets in a far corner, piling oddments of stuff upon the white cotton.

Afterwards, she hurried back home, but when she slowly sneaked back upstairs, she saw that Shinji was still fast asleep. She had been immensely worried that he might wake up, realize that she wasn't there, and begin asking questions about where she was.

With this said and done, Asuka took her time preparing breakfast. In reality, she was hardly paying attention to what she was doing. Her thought were filled with Shinji, and how she had behaved last night. It had been as much a surprise to Shinji, as it was to her. She could hardly remember kissing him on the neck, but it had happened, and Asuka was overly aware of the growing tension between them. If she had been told that she'd begin to feel this way towards Shinji when they first met each other back in Tokyo-3, she would have spit in that persons face.

The electric shock she had felt when he kissed her at the corner of her lips was nothing like she had ever felt before. It was like waves of ecstasy had rippled through her body, starting at her head, and traveling all the way down her legs. It was pleasurable to say the least, though in a strange way that Asuka hadn't experienced before.

But still, if she hadn't recovered from that moment of lapse in judgement, or if Shinji had kissed her afterwards, she may have thrown caution to the wind. Asuka didn't want to think about 'what if scenarios,' but the truth was there.

There was still the unanswerable question between them that Asuka had mentioned before. It seemed that neither had any lingering doubts with regards to that, but there was still much that hadn't been spoken. They were very much feeling and testing the waters, but if they misstepped, it would be a long plunge into the icy depths. Asuka was more aware of this now more than ever, now that she had had her first blood.

Stirring the pot slowly, Asuka tasted the soup, before deeming it good enough. At this moment, the sliding door opened, and Shinji stepped out onto the patio.

"I'm surprised to see you up early," said Shinji as he yawned.

"I woke up rather suddenly, and didn't really feel like going back to sleep," said Asuka half truthfully. As she went to hand him a bowl, her eyes fond the spot on his neck which her teeth had latched onto. Her face changed several shades, but she didn't comment on it, and neither did Shinji.

They ate in silence, both being absorbed in there own thoughts regarding the other. Even just sitting next to each other like this was almost unbearable. Shinji was constantly glancing over at her, his eyes roving along her body, lingering multiple times on her lips. He had wished that she was still sleeping beside him when he woke up, and would have liked nothing better than to give her a good morning kiss.

When Shinji was done eating, Asuka wordlessly their bowls, and then washed them clean, storing them away in the kitchen. She busied herself around the kitchen for a while, trying to lose herself in something, anything, just to keep her mind off Shinji. Though when he went inside and sat by the fireplace, reading his book, she found this almost impossible. Finally giving up, she walked into the living room, and sat down on the recliner beside the couch. She didn't think she could handle sitting beside him right now, and didn't want to risk another incident.

"Did you want to do anything today?" asked Shinji, idly turning a page. Though he asked this, Shinji didn't look over at her. Asuka wasn't put off by this, but just assumed that Shinji was also doing his best to limit any close interactions between them right now.

"No, I don't think so," said Asuka slowly.

"Alright," said Shinji as he shrugged and returned to his book.

Asuka continued sitting there for a while, gazing into the empty fireplace for a long while, before she stood up and walked upstairs. When Shinji couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, he closed his book with a snap. He had been reading the same paragraph repeatedly, unable to focus on the words written. Setting it down on the table in front of him, he ran both hands over his face, trying to shake away his nervousness. Asuka was beginning to become too much for him to handle.

Those many months ago, far back in Tokyo-3 came to his mind when he had first discovered her lying on the beach. Even then, he had thought Asuka beautiful, though with a rather rotten personality when they had first met. She had thawed completely since then, and just seeing her grin directed at him set his heart fluttering wildly. Last night came as a surprise to Shinji, seeing just how forceful Asuka could become. It was a far cry from how she had acted when they had first met. Shinji didn't know how much longer he could hold himself back.

The truth of the matter was, is that he wanted Asuka. He wanted to hold her strongly against himself. To kiss her deeply, to run his hands through her hair, to-

'Don't start imagining stuff,' Shinji told himself. Unfortunately, he found this harder and harder as the days went on.

Standing up, he decided that what he needed was some fresh air.

Walking upstairs, he entered their bedroom, and saw that Asuka wasn't in the bed, but instead the bathroom doors were closed.

Knocking on the door, he asked, "You in there Asuka?"

There was silence for several seconds before Asuka replied with, "...Yeah."

"I'm gonna go out for a while, just letting you know."

"...Okay."

Shinji remained by the door for several seconds, wondering if something was wrong, but Asuka didn't seem to be in any trouble.

Leaving the house, Shinji opened the door to his truck, and climbed up into the drive seat. Starting the truck, he glanced into the rearview mirror, and thought he saw the curtain of the bedroom window pulled back slightly. Shaking his head, he pulled out of their driveway, and up the hill.

Meanwhile, Asuka stepped back from the window, and sank down onto the bed. Her eyes were slightly moist, but her heart was the most troubled. If she could just be honest with herself, then maybe this tension could evaporate, but she couldn't blame herself entirely. Shinji as well was feeling tense and nervous, which was clear since he had left to likely attempt to clear his mind. Just being within the same house was causing these waves of emotions between them. On the one hand, they very clearly wanted each other, but felt unable to take another step. They were still very much children in this regard.

* * *

><p>Shinji hardly payed any attention to where he was going, but ended up following the familiar path of the logging trail he had created yesterday. He had no intention of cutting down any trees, or even practicing with his AT-field for that matter. He had just wanted someplace quiet to think for a while.<p>

Stepping out of the truck, he let the tailgate of the truck fall down, and climbed up to sit on it. The sounds of nature were all around him, and because of his enhanced senses, if he paused and listened, he could hear other things normal humans couldn't distinguish. The sounds of birds softy communicating to each other in trees above him, the sounds of acorns falling from the trees to eventually sprout new ones. The wind carefully picking up individual grains of dirt and flinging them into the air. All sorts of creatures crawling in the dirt below him, living as they will.

Raising up his hand as high as he could, he peered through the gaps in his hand, and the trees above him, to look at the sun high in the sky. What did he want to do with this hand? What did he want to grasp with this hand? Where did he want to go with this body? What did he want to do with this body? How much of this was all wound up within his feelings for Asuka? Nearly all of it of course.

Asuka was an existence that Shinji was able to connect with, and despite revelations of who he was, the world they lived in, or the past lives that they might have shared, she threw it all away, and promised that she would never leave him. More than once, Shinji wondered if he deserved her affection, because of who he was. There was a strong possibility that he wasn't human, a being similar to an angel, something that she had once sworn to fight against. But she had ignored that, and accepted Shinji as who he was.

What could he do then in turn, of her who had accepted him as he was? To hold her in times of trouble? To sooth her in times of worry? To stay with her until death reached both of them? All of these things and many more Shinji knew. Whether more humans came back was no longer a question of 'would Shinji and Asuka continued this shared existence,' but the fact that it would be so.

Unspeakably, Shinji suddenly felt himself leaving his current plane of existence. At first, he didn't realize what was happening, but then, it had been two months since December afterall. Visions flashed by him so fast that he was unable to get a glimpse of them for more than a second. He saw himself and Asuka happily sitting on the patio of their house, wrapped in each other arms, two glasses of wine in front of them. He saw brief images of them driving too and from different places, either in the station wagon, or the truck. An image of them laughing happily while sitting on the couch; breakfast in bed in the morning; Asuka ordering him around as they spent another winter together; kissing deeply while tangled in the blankets of their bed. All sorts of images and possibilities flew by Shinji until he felt like his brain couldn't contain it all. Everything was with Asuka though, and that was the only thing that mattered to Shinji.

As everything began slowing down though, and the visions became steadily fewer and far between, Shinji glimpsed an image of Asuka with tears in her eyes, and in what appeared to be pain. The image vanished so suddenly that Shinji didn't have time to think about it however, and something else was approaching as well. There was something else mixed within all these visions. Shinji felt darkness starting to seep into the possibilities that passed him, all more wild then the other. He felt his brain rattling around in his skull, and tried to shut out the pain that he was suddenly feeling.

At the end, something loomed above Shinji. He heard voices all around him, voices which he had never heard before. Thousands, if not millions of people were all speaking at once, each of their voices wanting to be heard. There was some great debate happening between them, but all were crying about the same thing. What this was, Shinji couldn't understand, as the voices rose and fell like the sound of waves until it was a tumultuous roar. Several people seemed to be at the center however, the voices of reason and power, spurring the others on. Chaos ensued and the voices became even louder, until Shinji had to try and close his ears, but they were echoing in his mind.

Pain suddenly shot through his mind, as he saw something, and he screamed in pain. His scream was real, and it exploded in the clearing around him. Unwillingly, he felt his AT-field surge upward into the sky above the clearing, exploding out from within him. Grasping ahold of his pounding mind, he forcefully dissipated his AT-field with a wave of his arm, and then fell back into the bed of the truck.

Shinji didn't know how long he lay there for, but he felt like his consciousness slipped in and out of reality for some time before he sat up again.

'What had happened?' was the first thing that came to his mind, but the fact that he had had a vision was obvious. This was altogether different however, as he had never seen this many possibilities all at once, and the possibility at the end. He didn't know what he had seen, or felt, but it had very clearly affected his mind. There was so much wound up together within what he saw, that it was impossible to make heads or tails of anything. He had long come to know that what he saw wasn't concrete fact, but it still worried him.

Wiping sweat off his forehead, he looked down at his arm. Had he unconsciously used his AT-field because of what he had seen? Was what he saw so bad that it provoked an unconscious usage of his AT-field? Clasping and unclasping his hand, he wondered what could possibly have created that reaction.

Shinji's brain was in tatters, but since he didn't know how much time had passed, he shakily got into the truck, and slowly drove his way out of the clearing. His head still hurt from the pain earlier, but as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he saw that he was deathly pale. He hoped that his complexion would clear up by the time he got home, but he didn't have much faith in this.

After thirty minutes or so, he pulled into the driveway of their house, and stepped out of the truck. His head still hurt, and he looked slightly better than when he had left the clearing, but he still felt strange.

As he walked around the patio to the sliding glass door, he saw that Asuka had come out to greet him. When she saw him, she could immediately tell that something was wrong.

"Shinji are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Shinji heard himself reply, though his head felt like a pinball machine right now.

"You're lying," stated Asuka.

"I'm fine," Shinji said again. As he said this, fresh pain seared his head, and he reflexively reached up to hold it. He very nearly stumbled, and this was when Asuka took matters into her own hands.

"You're not fine, and being incredibly stupid. Come here."

Grabbing his arm and placing it on her shoulder, Asuka was able to drag Shinji through the door and into the living room. Walking up the stairs would prove too difficult Asuka judged, so she set him on the couch, and went to get him something to drink. Shinji's head felt like it would split open any second, and when Asuka gave him the water, he downed the whole bottle in four gulps.

Sitting down on the couch beside him, Asuka checked his forehead, but it was fine.

"What happened?" she asked.

"...I."

But Shinji didn't get any further. Slumping sideways, he fell directly onto Asuka's lap, landing with a thud. Asuka almost jumped up in her surprise, but controlled herself. The nervousness and uncertainty had vanished from her heart, and all that was left was concern for Shinji. She checked his breathing, and it wasn't labored, so it appeared that he was just sleeping for now. She hadn't seen Shinji in this much pain since he broke his leg. Even if he had gotten an injury in some way, it should have healed automatically, so this was something else.

'Did he have a vision?' wondered Asuka. If this was true, then it could explain his deathly paleness and the apparent pain in his head.

Asuka had begun to worry, since it had been hours since Shinji had left, but when he got back, she had grown even more worried. She had been thinking how to greet him when he got back, but this was all replaced by concern for him.

Glancing down at his face, she realized how close they were again. Though she was still concerned, Asuka felt that the worst was likely over at least. Placing a hand on his head, she stroked his hair softly, running her finger through it, and then running the palm of her hand against his cheek. Leaning down close to him, she carefully wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him gently.

"I'm glad you're back," mumbled Asuka.

* * *

><p>Shinji's dreams were muddled and confused. It felt like each dream led into the next, but none of the dreams themselves made any sense. If he pieced them all together, he may have been able to discover something, but before this was able to happen, he woke up.<p>

He was still resting his head on Asuka's lap, and his eyes were directed towards the fireplace. Turning his head around, he saw Asuka looking down at him.

"Finally awake huh?" smiled Asuka.

The splitting headache was gone, and so Shinji made to sit up, but Asuka rested her hand on his head, signaling for him to continue laying there for a while longer. She had a book in her hand, which she now placed on the table beside the couch.

"How long was I out?" asked Shinji.

"Only about an hour I think," replied Asuka. "You really scared me for a moment there when you came back."

Shinji didn't say anything, but continued staring up at her. Asuka felt herself blush slightly, and forced herself to look away from him. Though she had been reading, she was often distracted by running her hands through Shinji's hair. Since he had been asleep like that, she took advantage of the opportunity and enjoyed the short time that he had been asleep. Now that he was awake, she was more aware of the position that he was laying in.

Shinji decided that he felt well enough however, so he slowly rose from Asuka's lap, and then sank into the cushions beside her. Rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes, he tilted his head back and gazed up at the ceiling.

"Did you have another vision?" asked Asuka eventually.

Shinji didn't say anything, but after several seconds, he nodded once.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"...I don't know whether I can or not. Everything happened so fast that I only got glimpses of things. It all feels like a dream now, but I at least remember several key points.

So Shinji told Asuka in detail everything he had remembered while leaving out a couple images. He didn't feel comfortable talking about the vision of them kissing in bed however, and this was the main thing that he left out. When he got towards the end of the lengthy vision though, he found himself struggling to explain what he had seen. Faceless people and millions of voices all collaborating in some way was the best that he could describe. As for what had caused him so much pain, he wasn't even sure what it was, since he hadn't in truth seen it, only able to grasp the feeling. Whatever it was couldn't be considered good though.

After explaining everything, Asuka sat silently in thought. She didn't know what to make of the voices that Shinji had heard, but she was happy about the things he had described that could possibly happen between them. Asuka even went so far as to guess that the things he had seen between them would eventually come to pass, given enough time of course. As for whatever he had seen that had caused him so much pain, Asuka didn't want to dwell on such things.

"So, what do you think?" asked Shinji, giving Asuka enough time to think.

"I'm not sure on the whole I suppose. The voices and things are too vague to make heads or tails of. As for some of the other stuff," shrugging Asuka finished with, "I wouldn't mind some of those things actually happening, though having forward knowledge doesn't make it as unique."

Shinji wondered if she would have said the same thing if he had mentioned them kissing in bed together. Well, either way, on the whole, Shinji felt better about it. Just speaking to Asuka about it helped put his mind at ease.

"You hungry?" asked Asuka suddenly.

Shinji was, not realizing it until now. Nodding, Asuka stood up and said she'd make him something, though it wouldn't be much. Even if it wasn't much, it was enough for Shinji.

Later, Asuka brought him a plate, while she nibbled on a few things herself. She wasn't very hungry, but she wanted something to take her mind off things for a couple minutes at least. Now that Shinji was awake, she was wondering if things would return to how they were earlier in the morning.

This didn't seem to be case though, as after Shinji had finished eat, he slowly scooted closer to Asuka, resting against her side. It was nice to see Shinji taking some sort of initiative for a change, since it had been her who was doing everything recently. But this was also a problem, since Asuka was becoming aware of how hot Shinji's body was leaning against her. Had he always been this warm, or were her hormones just acting up again?

"Asuka...thanks..." mumbled Shinji.

Stealing a glance over at him, Asuka asked, "What for?"

"For lunch as a start, though more importantly, for listening to me. This is the first time my visions have been so jumbled, so I was a little unnerved I think."

"Idiot," sighed Asuka, placing a hand on his head.

Shinji smirked as she did this, and Asuka raised an eyebrow at him, almost daring him to do something. Predictably, Shinji broke eye contact with her first, and Asuka sighed inwardly. Removing her hand from Shinji's head, she intended to go back to reading, when she felt something soft brushing against her cheek. Darting her eyes back towards Shinji, she instinctively placed her hands over the spot where he had just kissed her. Asuka honestly didn't know what to make of this, as it had come out of left field, but it seemed that Shinji was just showing his appreciation towards her. Asuka didn't even feel embarrassed, and it seemed that Shinji was the same.

A wave of feelings washed over Asuka, and she wondered if she should reply in turn, though things could get messy quickly. In the end, she settled with shooting Shinji a seductive gaze. This time, Shinji did turn red, and started coughing suddenly. Asuka had to fight back a laugh, but it eventually broke through her lips. They were acting like children, but Asuka didn't care how dumb it seemed; she was having fun afterall.

Controlling his coughing fit with a swig of water, Shinji looked over at Asuka and said, "You didn't have to start laughing."

"Sorry, couldn't help myself."

The mood was the lightest it had ever been after skin to lip contact, and Asuka felt that this was an improvement in its own right. Maybe they had gotten passed that part? Asuka was happy that they could calmly communicate with each other. Every other time, a kiss had happened directly before bed, without leaving much room to talk, and in the morning it was a voided subject. If they were able to do this then-

"...Hey Asuka?" asked Shinji, pulling Asuka out of her train of thought.

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Do you want to kiss?"

Asuka dropped her plate in surprise, where it made a loud thud on the carpet, an assortment of food falling onto the carpet, but Asuka didn't even notice. Slowly, she turned her eyes towards Shinji. He was looking directly at her, any sense of nervousness hidden behind his passive face. Asuka didn't think that her face was the same, and felt that her cheeks were steadily heating up. He had said something completely unreasonable and unexpected. Asuka didn't know how to reply, and felt like a fish helpless on land as she opened her mouth and then closed it slowly.

"I'm sorry if I asked it too suddenly, but-"

Shinji's words were cut off though, since Asuka tackled him from the opposite end of the couch. Pinning him down, she towered over him, sitting on his waist. Shinji tried to ignore the softness of her thighs grinding against him, but this proved impossible. Surely Asuka knew this as well, but she didn't seem to care about this detail.

"Asuka?" asked Shinji hesitantly.

"...What?" Asuka replied slowly.

"You haven't answered me."

Though Asuka was the one in charge currently, she didn't feel like she was able to reply. The words were stuck in her throat, and try as she might, two simple words couldn't escape her lips.

"You can say no if you aren't ready as well," mumbled Shinji. "I don't know if I am myself...but I feel that we've been dancing around this for a while."

"Shinji, I..."

Quick as a flash, there positions were reversed, as Shinji rose up and grabbed Asuka by the shoulders, pinning her down on the couch. Now that Asuka was being pinned, she felt a certain fieriness rising up within her. Her hormones started raging inside of her, and her emotions were running wild. How could Shinji be so calm right now, or was he just feigning it? If Asuka only told him it was okay, then it'd be over quickly, but she knew that unless she said it, Shinji wouldn't dare do it. Shinji cared to much about her to force her into something that she may be uncomfortable with.

But Asuka wasn't uncomfortable with it.

Though still unable to find her voice, Asuka reached up towards Shinji, and drew him towards him. Not expecting this sudden move by her, Shinji was pulled into Asuka's embrace so that their bodies were parallel with each other. The soft flesh of Asuka's body was almost too much for Shinji, that he tried untangling himself from her arms, but Asuka's grip was too strong. She had wrapped her arms around his back, and firmly held them there.

Since their faces were parallel, Shinji was able to see the many emotions that were racing across Asuka's face. She was embarrassed, nervous, appeared slightly afraid, but also seemed prepared for whatever happened afterwards. But unless she said something, Shinji wouldn't kiss her.

Asuka understood this though.

Drawing even closer to him, Asuka rested her chin in the gap of his collarbone, nuzzling her face against him. Shinji weight was pressing down on her, but she didn't care. Running her hand along his back, her fingernails carefully clawed at the fabric of his shoulder, tracing lines over his back muscles. Shinji inhaled rather suddenly as she did this, not expecting this sort of sensation by just having Asuka's hands gliding across his back.

"Asuka, this is..."

Asuka stopped what she was doing, and drew back slightly so that she could look directly into Shinji's eyes.

"I can stop if you want."

"That isn't the point here. You still haven't answered me."

Asuka bit her lips in frustration, still unable to give him an answer.

"If thats how its going to be, then I'm getting up," said Shinji as he managed to remove her arms from his back. Asuka hadn't even noticed he was struggling until he was already sitting up.

"Shinji...wait..." Asuka mumbled, reaching out for his hand, but Shinji shook her hand off. Walking to the front of the house, he opened the front door, and then walked outside. Asuka followed him up the circular driveway, but she found that she couldn't continue. She had been making excuses the whole way, each seeming more feeble than the last.

'Just tell him damn it!' Asuka told herself. 'Tell him that you want him to kiss you! Tell him how much you lo-'

But Shinji walked down the road without looking back, and Asuka didn't say anything.

Slowly, she walked back inside in a daze of sorts. It was hard to comprehend why she hadn't just told him. For all Asuka's determination, and the steps that she had taken for a while now, the thought of kissing Shinji still made her pause. Their relationship wasn't what it had once been. It had certainly changed, and both were aware of this. For Asuka, kissing Shinji meant something entirely different though; she was basically telling her feelings to him in one motion. If she didn't feel that way, then she couldn't have wanted to kiss him. But she was still nervous about it.

* * *

><p>Shinji didn't know where he was walking, or why he was walking. Sometimes thats all it seemed like he was doing lately, going from one place to another without any clear destination in mind. They had found another house, but so what? It didn't matter if they weren't able to get passed their own problems.<p>

Thinking back on what had happened, Shinji was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't have just kissed Asuka anyway. He was nearly one hundred percent sure that she wanted to experience it, but Shinji wanted to hear it from her own lips before he sealed them.

He was currently sitting on the steps of the house they had been to at the far end of the road with the swimming pool. There was a large wooded area behind the house, though Shinji didn't feel like walking any further than this. He didn't even bother to try the front door, but just continued sitting out here.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but during that time, the clouds had steadily built up and small droplets of rain began falling. Deciding that he should return before the downpour starting, he walked back up the road halfheartedly, wondering how things would be back home with Asuka.

Rounding the corner, he saw something which he hadn't expected. Off to the side of the road was Asuka, leaning against a large tree. She was wearing a sweatshirt with the hood drawn up over her head, and her hands were tucked into the pocket of her jeans. She was looking down at the ground, and seemed to be fidgeting, or debating might be more accurate.

"Asuka, what are you doing here?"

"Do you even need to ask that?" she said as she looked up towards him.

"How long have you been waiting here?"

"Not long. Once I saw the clouds gathering, I decided to come and get you, though I got sorta sidetracked halfway. I knew you hadn't come back this way yet, so I figured you were still down the road somewhere."

Asuka's cheeks were turning pink thanks to the drop in temperature, but she didn't seem upset over what had happened earlier. Shinji was surprised she could be so calm, but when she walked up to him, grabbed his hand, he could feel the tension in her grip.

"C'mon, lets go back before the rain starts coming down even harder."

"...Yeah," said Shinji rather offhandedly.

"...Something wrong?" asked Asuka.

Shinji didn't say anything, unsure whether everything was fine, or if nothing was alright.

They made it back to their house just and the sky opened up, and the downpour happened. Shinji had gotten slightly more wet than Asuka, so he went upstairs to change out of his clothes. When he came back down, Asuka already had a cup of tea waiting for him, and another already for herself. Shinji was unsure whether he should sit down next to her, but Asuka didn't give any indication that this would bother her, so Shinji did so.

Shinji felt awkward sitting next to her, knowing what had transpired not long ago. Asuka was reading a book, and seemed to be ignoring the stifled silence between them, but Shinji couldn't take it anymore.

"Asuka?"

In response, Asuka closed her book suddenly, and then turned towards him.

"What?"

"About earlier..."

"Do you really need to hear it from me?" mumbled Asuka softly.

"Like I said, if you don't say it, I wont."

"You're being stubborn."

"How can you say that with a straight face?"

Asuka stuck out her tongue playfully at him, but then sighed and said, "Well, its not like I don't know anyway. I'm not stupid."

"...Huh?" stuttered Shinji.

Asuka grinned, and took his hand, intertwining his fingers in hers. Pressing his hand against her forehead, she inexplicably brought Shinji closer to her. Shinji wasn't sure what she was doing, but it almost looked like she was praying in a strange manner. Her eyes were closed, and her eyelashes were fluttering softly, the warmth from the fireplace dying one side of her face a brilliant color.

Opening her eyes, she looked over at Shinji and said-

"Hold still for a moment."

Shinji blinked once, aware that Asuka had moved closer to him. Her right hand was still holding onto his right, and he noticed that his palm was starting to sweat. He wondered if Asuka would notice this, but she seemed too busy focusing on something else at the moment. Was there something on his face? Why did she seemed nervous?

Then it clicked, and Shinji realized what Asuka was doing. He had half a second to determine whether to break free of her grasp, or not. But Asuka broke in with-

"If you dare try to break free, I swear I'll hit you."

Shinji couldn't believe she could be this easygoing in this situation. Where had all her nervousness gone, or was she just that determined now?

Shinji could now count each individual eyelash of hers as she drew nearer. Her bright eyes felt like they were piercing directly into his soul, locking him into position so he couldn't move. They were captivating, and Shinji found that he couldn't looked away, let alone move, if he wanted to. It seemed that he was resigning himself to what was happening, and even began to long for it. But as Asuka leaned into him, her body pressing against his while their hands were still clasped together, she paused. Shinji could feel her breathe on his face, filling his nostrils, but it was her eyes that he was drawn to. Even though on the exterior, she seemed fine, her eyes gave a different story. She was obviously worried, and her eyes had even started to water slightly. As Shinji waited though, he was starting to lose all self control.

'If you aren't going to kiss me, I may just break down and close this small gap,' thought Shinji.

Gripping tightly to her hand, Shinji tried to give her some sort of reassurance. Feeling her hand being griped tightly, Asuka squeezed back slightly, and then gave him a small smile. Cupping his face with her other hand, she leaned in, closed her eyes, and gently pressed her lips against his.

This happened for maybe a fraction of a second, before Asuka broke off the contact. It had come and gone with hardly anytime passing between them, and they both sat facing each other for what felt like an eternity, when Shinji finally said.

"That felt-"

"-Awkward," finished Asuka.

It wasn't awkward because their feelings weren't strong enough, but because it was both of their first kisses. You couldn't blame then for not knowing much on the subject, since it was something neither had thought about during these fifteen years of their lives.

'That wasn't so bad,' thought Asuka. 'Though I don't see what the big deal is either now that I've done it. Is something supposed to be different?'

"Hey Shinji?"

"...Yeah?"

"...One more time."

Asuka closed the distance much faster this time, and without much hesitance. Quickly, she pressed her own lips against Shinji's, but didn't admittedly feel anything different. Again, this was done quickly, and was hardly more than a peck.

"One more time," she mumbled.

Locking her lips to his, Asuka finally found what she was searching for. Shinji had been suppressing himself for a while now, trying to contain his desires that were rushing through him, but after being kissed by Asuka twice now, he gave up on suppressing himself.

Raising his hand up, he pressed it against Asuka's cheek, stroking it gently, while he kissed her back. This change surprised Asuka, and she drew back for a moment.

"Shinji wha-"

But Shinji wasn't done yet. Cutting her off, he leaned forward, and kissed her deeply this time, trying to convey his feelings in this kiss. Shinji had never known anything so strange as he kissed Asuka, slowly pushing her down onto the couch. It was like he was desperately in need of oxygen, and the only way he would survive is if he continued kissing Asuka. Slowly, he felt the surprise melting away from her, being replaced by what could only be described as greed. Asuka greedily kissed him back, sucking him towards her. Both forgot to breath for a moment, and Asuka's hands raked their way along his back, clawing his skin. Shinji winced briefly at this, but the pleasure and ecstasy he was feeling by kissing Asuka was similar to a narcotic so that he forgot pain for a while.

He did have to breathe eventually though, and letting up for air, he was given about two seconds before Asuka brought him back towards her. Now that she had gotten used to this, she didn't want to stop. Asuka's body was beginning to throb, and she became aware of certain pleasantries weaving around her body. A surge of electricity went through her, and she arched her back, grinding her hips against Shinji's.

Breaking off the kiss, she was panting heavily, and her entire body was sweating profusely. Shinji's was as well, though he leaned back in to kiss her, but Asuka pressed a finger of hers against his lips.

"Hang on," panted Asuka. "Give me a minute."

"Tired?" asked Shinji.

"I forgot how to breathe there for a minute, so I'm feeling incredibly lightheaded, though I suppose thats not the only reason."

Still panting deeply, Asuka wiped some sweat of her forehead, and then looked over to the fireplace. It felt like hours had passed since they had kissed, but it had been only a matter of seconds. Asuka's hunger for Shinji was almost insatiable it seemed.

'I want to continue, but I'm also afraid what could happen if we continue.'

It didn't seem like she had to worry about this, because Shinji suddenly got off the couch, and walked outside. Asuka sat up, bewildered that he had gotten up in the middle of this, but she followed him anyway.

Shinji was standing in the rain, letting it splash onto his forehead.

"What are you doing just standing there?" asked Asuka from the comfort of the sliding glass door.

"Trying to calm myself," mumbled Shinji. "That was far more exhilarating than I had imagined...kissing you, that is."

Asuka felt her face heat up as Shinji mentioned what had just transpired, but if anything, she just wanted to kiss him again.

"Well, its getting dark, so now is probably a good time to start dinner."

Asuka felt her jaw drop, amazed that Shinji could mention dinner so casually. They'd just kissed each other for the first time afterall, and now Shinji was acting as though it was a one time thing.

"Whats wrong?" asked Shinji, seeing the slight from on her face.

"Can't we wait a little longer...I want to continue..."

Shinji thought Asuka far too cute when she said, and came close to accepting her offer. If he did, they may not have dinner till almost nine though. Shinji would have liked nothing better than to return to the couch, or better yet, the bed, and continue where they left off, but he felt that taking a break like this was good also. It helped to keep him semi sane at the very least.

"Later," mumbled Shinji. "Truthfully, I was forgetting myself for a while there. Sorry if I did something I shouldn't have."

"No, you didn't," said Asuka, shaking her head.

"Hmm, well thats good at least."

Walking back towards the sliding door, he paused on the step, looking up at Asuka. Smiling, he placed a kiss on her cheek before she had time to ask why he had paused, and then walked passed her. Asuka reflexively placed her hand over the spot, and then stared at Shinji's back as he walked into the kitchen.

"Later my ass," mumbled Asuka. "You want it just as much as me."

* * *

><p>Maybe because of what happened, but dinner seemed a much more hurried affair then in recent memory. Asuka helped Shinji, though she more in the way than actually helping. She very clearly wanted dinner to be over with quickly, so they could continue. Shinji took his time well enough, but even he wanted to hurry up and finish. Asuka kept debating whether to kiss him or not as they worked in the kitchen together, and once or twice, she came close, but always decided to wait in the end.<p>

They didn't say much as they ate, focusing on their own food. Asuka even started playing with her food at one point, her appetite vanishing as her lust began to take over. When she finally couldn't take it anymore, she stood up and placed her half eaten plate by the sink, and then sat down on the couch. Shinji steadily continued eating until he was done, and then began washing the dishes. When he was halfway done, Asuka slowly walked over to him.

"Can't you do that later?"

"I'd rather get it done now, while I'm still thinking straight," sighed Shinji.

Asuka frowned, but then wrapped her arms around Shinji's chest, pressing her body against his back. A comfortable feeling washed over her, and Asuka began rocking backwards and forewords slowly.

"Asuka, if you do that, then it'll take even longer to finish this."

"Then don't finish it. One day won't hurt."

As if to convince him that ignoring the dishes was better, she softly began breathing on the back of his neck and ear, making Shinji squirm uncontrollably. Asuka's warm breathe tickled him, nearly convincing him that what she was offering was better...and she was right, but Shinji wanted to get this done. He didn't know what would happen later, but he wanted as few things to deal with incase something did happen.

Finally giving up on her attempts to convince him, Asuka leaned against the counter beside him.

"You're no fun," she said.

"You can wait ten more minutes."

"Hmm, I'm really not sure about that," grinned Asuka playfully.

'Damn it,' thought Shinji, trying to focus on the plate he was scrubbing. 'Doesn't she understand that this is difficult for me as well?'

Asuka didn't say anything to him afterwards however, and was content to lean against the counter and watch him as he worked. Shinji was thorough every time he washed the dishes, but Asuka thought she sensed a certain urgency in the way he worked the scrub brush. When he finally finished washing the last dish, he dried it off and placed it in the cupboard beside the sink. Letting out a low sigh, he began drying his own hands off, when Asuka spoke.

"All done?" came her voice beside him.

"Yeah, I am. Though I'm not really sure-"

Whatever he had been about to say, Asuka didn't give him that chance. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she practically smashed her lips against his, and Shinji felt the chink of his teeth as Asuka's teeth hit them forcefully. Shinji didn't get any time to prepare himself again, and was quickly lost in the moment. Asuka seemed almost feverish as she kissed him, desperate to continue with this passion.

Shinji's hands weren't fully dry yet, and he could only hold them up in the air while they kissed. When Asuka drew back for a breathe, Shinji took the opportunity to wipe his hands on his jeans, and then Asuka was back for more. Hungrily, her lips wrapped around Shinji's, the pleasure coursing through her body being the only thing that she was thinking of.

Now that his hands were dry, Shinji wrapped his arms around her, and then forced her backwards, until they were up against the counter on the other side of the kitchen. Asuka didn't even care when her back hit the edge of the counter, or that the handle of a drawer was digging into her thigh. She was lost in the moment, and nothing else mattered.

They kissed, desperate for this need to show their affection which they had been bottling up inside them this whole time. It was like weeks, if not months of built up tension between them was being released as they kissed. Shinji didn't know exactly when he had started wanting to experience these things with Asuka, but he was glad that they had reached this stage.

Pausing again, Shinji drew back, and then looked at Asuka in front of him. She was beginning to pant again, and sweat was permeating on her forehead. Her hair was messy as well, but Shinji didn't care that she looked this way. Placing a hand on her cheek, he caressed it gently, and then ran his forefinger along her lightly colored lips. They were moist, and Asuka closed her eyes as he did this. He could feel her slightly ragged breath coming through her parted lips, and Shinji began to feel himself loosing all means of common sense.

"Asuka...you're intoxicating..." mumbled Shinji.

"Glad to know," smirked Asuka.

As Shinji went to kiss her again though, she placed a hand over his mouth, and then took his hand.

"I know its early, but I want to go upstairs."

Shinji's brain gave a brief jolt as she said this, but he nodded once to her, and then followed her slowly as she led the way upstairs. Kicking open the front door, Asuka crossed the threshold, and then fell onto the bed, dragging Shinji so that he collapsed on top of her. Asuka was smiling, her hand still holding onto Shinji's. She didn't know why, but she was beginning to feel nervous now that they were in the bedroom.

The passion from before was still there, but they were now more tender with each other. Shinji leaned in, kissing her sweetly this time. Time seemed to slow for him, and he lost himself in Asuka's lips more than once, but she didn't seem to care. She was even smiling now, as they kissed.

Soon though, Shinji decided that it was best if they didn't push their luck anymore. Getting off the bed, he let out a weary sigh, and ran his hands through his hair. Asuka was watching him from the bed, wondering what was going through his mind right now.

"Shinji?"

"Hmm?"

"You alright?" asked Asuka.

Shinji turned around to look at Asuka. Her hair was a disheveled mess, and she was sweating slightly, but other than that she was grinning from ear to ear. More than ever, Shinji wanted to go over there, push Asuka down, and wrap his arms, lips, and his whole body around her. Shinji wasn't prepared for that though.

"Yeah...sorry."

Asuka frowned at him, and then stood up, walking over to where he was.

"Did you want to stop?" she asked.

"No," Shinji replied truthfully. "But anymore than this, and I may do something I'd regret."

"...Well, if you did, and I don't think you have the spine for it, I'd just knock you out I suppose," smirked Asuka.

Shinji shook his head and said, "You really don't know how difficult it is for me to hold back do you?"

'And how do you think I feel?' wondered Asuka.

Asuka wasn't finished however. Closing the gap between them, Asuka stood on her tiptoes, and kissed Shinji again. She didn't receive a reaction from him though, and leaned back when she was done.

'Fine, if you want to be stubborn that way,' thought Asuka.

Grabbing both his hands, she tugged him over to the bed against his will, and then threw him down on the bed.

"Asuka, I'm serious. Anymore of this and I-"

Asuka sank down on top of him, pressing her entire body weight, along with her lips, into this kiss. She was almost smothering him, her lips refusing to leave his. Shinji felt like he was suffocating, and very nearly inhaled while Asuka was kissing him. Drawing back, Asuka looked down at Shinji, giving him a brief reprieve, and then continued her assault. She kissed him again, pressing her lips down on his, cradling his head in her hands. Asuka's mind was beginning to turn white again, as she quickly became lost in her passion.

Shinji was doing everything within his power to remain sane, aware of Asuka warm body pressing against him, her developing breasts brushing against his chest, and her supple hips grinding against his. As he had said before, Asuka was intoxicating, like a drug that he had gotten hooked on. There were so many things that he wanted to do with her right now, but he forced himself to suppress those feelings.

'Shit,' thought Shinji. 'I can't go on like this.'

As he thought this, Asuka did something rather unexpected. Since it was their first time kissing, both knew very little about different ways of kissing. They were experiencing everything together for the first time though, so they were bound to want to experiment as well. Asuka in particular seemed to have become used to this far quicker than Shinji, and this was when she tried something different.

Shinji felt Asuka's tongue enter his mouth. She was hesitant, unsure what she was doing, but it was something that she wanted to try. Shinji didn't know what to make of this, and for a moment, it was just Asuka kissing him while he lay there. Soon though, Shinji felt a pleasant shiver start from his head, and then travel down his body to his waist. As Asuka continued to kiss him, Shinji finally retaliated in a like manner. Hesitant himself, his tongue found Asuka's, and they began an awkward dance together, not entirely sure what they were doing. Shinji's hormones began to run wild, and he was aware that he was steadily growing rigid, something which Asuka would no doubt realize, but she seemed to be lost in this kiss, unaware of the things going on around her.

Waves of pleasure washed over them as they continued kissing, tongues entwining with one another as they steadily became more used to this. Asuka had continued laying on Shinji, but getting lost in the moment, Shinji sat up and wrapped his arms around her, their hips grinding against each other. Briefly, Asuka backed away, a small moan leaking out from her mouth, but then she found Shinji's lips again, and they returned to the pleasure.

Neither knew how much time passed as they sat like that in each others arms, but they eventually broke away. Asuka lips briefly lingered on Shinji's lips as they stopped kissing one another, but she still seemed hungry for more. Asuka realized though that anymore, and one of them might lose there self control.

They looked back at each other, both flushed slightly, and sweat permeating both their bodies. Asuka got off his lap silently, without speaking, and then went into the bathroom briefly. Shinji collapsed on the bed, his mind filled with white noise. If he didn't know any better, he would assume that he was dreaming right now. It seemed too surreal that him and Asuka had just finished kissing that passionately. Whatever he had thought about before, or fantasied about, the real thing was different. Pinching himself to be absolutely sure he wasn't dreaming, he heard a small laugh from behind him.

"What are you doing?" asked Asuka as she stepped back into the bedroom.

'Making sure I'm not dreaming right now,' thought Shinji silently to himself. He wasn't really sure what to say to Asuka right now.

Sitting up, Shinji saw that Asuka had changed out of the jeans and t-shirt that she had been wearing, and was now sporting shorts and a tank top. She seemed to have wiped the sweat from her body as well. He was glad that she hadn't been wearing that when they were kissing, since his hands very likely would have started roving along her body.

Without another word, Asuka climbed in the bed, but instead of burying herself under the covers, she only threw the one sheet over herself. She was far too warm for all the blankets that kept them warm at night right now.

Sitting up, Shinji glanced over at Asuka briefly, still unsure what to say to her. In the meanwhile, Shinji changed out of jeans and shirt, being sure to face away from her as he did this. He was still very much rigid, and didn't want her to see that, though it wasn't like she probably already didn't know.

Done changing, Shinji slipped into the bed, tossing the one sheet over himself as Asuka had done. Both were still wide awake, but it didn't seem like either knew what to say. It had been a whirlwind of a day, and Shinji was having difficulties piecing it all together. His visions from earlier today seemed like a distant memory already, completely overshadowed by his and Asuka's first kiss.

"Um...Asuka?"

"God, took you long enough to say something."

As Asuka said this, she rolled over to Shinji's side, and snuggled up him. She was grinning at him, her face tilted up towards him, as though expectantly waiting for something. Shinji wanted to kiss her, but now that they were under the covers, he found himself quickly falling asleep. The combination of the warmth of Asuka's body and the sheet were overpowering him.

"Sorry Asuka. I'm feeling really sleepy suddenly."

"Hmm, well I know what you mean I suppose."

Yawning widely herself, Asuka drew even closer to Shinji, resting her head against his chest. Smiling warmly, Shinji wrapped his arms around her, and Asuka didn't even flinch as he did this, silently accepting his embrace.

Asuka fell asleep quickly after Shinji held her, seeming far more sleepy than she had initially let on. As Shinji felt himself slowly falling asleep, he looked down at the beautiful girl wrapped in his arms. A loving smile began spreading across his face, as he looked at her.

"I love you Asuka," Shinji whispered to her, and afterwards, passed into a deep slumber

* * *

><p><strong>So after months of buildup inside the story, and years of buildup in writing this and Spawn of Adam, we finally get to see Shinji and Asuka kissing each other, and rather a lot as well, not to mention Shinji's whisper at the end. I've always strongly believed in a long steady character development, instead of jumping into the story and 'Surprise!' they're in love, and 'Surprise!' they're having sex.<strong>

**Anyways enough of that, onto more important stuff. So, one of the inherent problems I always knew with Two of Us was going to be how to connect the two halves of the story. I've said before that we're getting closer to the second half, and thats around six or seven chapter away, but before that, there are still some things to take care of. I've never been a fan of time skips over long periods of time, but their really isn't any other way of joining the two halves, so thats whats gonna happen. Plus, it allows me the ability to write them in progressively more sexual interactions as they age, so that helps. **

**In a nutshell, the next chapters are all going to be centered around specific things that happened between Shinji and Asuka as they continue to age, so the next chapter will take place in the summer. **

**Until then, everyone have a Merry Christmas, and I hope you all got what you wanted.**


	25. Attachment

It was now summer, around mid July, and though the memories of that day in early March would always remain within Shinji's mind, time had passed since then. In reality, Shinji and Asuka had begun to lose any semblance of dates, and though it had steadily gotten warmer out, heralding the arrival of summer, neither knew what month they were in anymore. They still had the calendar, but had since forgotten about it, and neither paid it any attention. Instead, they focused on changes within themselves, and their outward exterior. Shinji was taller now, and though he had always been slightly taller than Asuka, it was more pronounced now. His hair was longer as well, and was a shaggy mop on his head that covered his forehead entirely, threatening to spill into his eyes. He had matured since that time, and though he didn't feel much older, if two pictures were placed side by side of him then, and now, the differences would have been striking.

Asuka on the other hand had begun to develop her more womanly features to such an extent that Shinji felt wrong staring at her body sometimes. Her body was more curved, her breasts fuller, and her hips in particular looked as though they had been carved by some sculptor. Just seeing her body swaying in rhythm as she walked was enough for Shinji to want to embrace her. At one point, at the beginning of April, Asuka had trimmed her hair slightly, but it was now back to a long length, reaching almost to her waist. Asuka had matured as well, and though she still enjoyed teasing Shinji occasionally, she was no longer embarrassed about showing her affection towards him. This was something that had both happened to them really.

Since it was summer, and the days were becoming considerably hotter, the need to keep the fireplace going most of the day was not as dire as it once was, but sometimes at night, they liked to start it anyway, especially on the occasions where they dozed on the couch together. With that said, their supply of wood had dwindled again, so Shinji was currently cutting more at the logging site he had created months ago. He had expanded the tree line further and further north until he had hit a large hillside, and then had started working his way west. He figured he may have to relocate eventually, but it was still many months before that, and hopefully they could make it through the winter.

He was still practicing with his AT-field of course, and right now, now that he was done with the gathering of firewood, he was practicing again. He had steadily continued to develop his ability to control it, but it still wasn't satisfactory to him. He had made significant progress though.

Shinji's feet hit the soft ground, and then he looked up towards the tree high above him. In his hand, he held a branch from the top of the tree which he had just cut off with his AT-field. He had finally succeeded in his attempt which had injured him back in March, and he was rather pleased with himself. It had all been a matter of timing, though his own physical body's growth didn't hurt either.

Throwing the smaller branch into the back of his truck for the hell of it, he jumped into the front seat, and then began the bumpy drive back, weaving around the stumps of old trees which he had previously felled. Asuka would probably be back from the grocery store by now, and he hadn't seen her since the morning, so he was eagerly awaiting to see her cheerful face.

* * *

><p>Parking in the driveway, he stepped out and decided to leave the firewood for later. The chance of it raining was near zero, so he didn't have to worry about that so much. Walking along the side of the house, he opened the sliding glass door. The station wagon was already back, as Shinji expected it to be, so he wasn't surprised to see Asuka working in the kitchen. They had a routine that they had started going through, and both knew roughly the times to expect the other back at the house, and so Asuka was just finishing a small lunch when Shinji returned.<p>

"Ah, good, you're back. I was just about finished," said Asuka as she noticed his presence.

Shinji sat at the dining table in the kitchen, and then moments later, Asuka brought out his lunch. Shinji accepted it gratefully, and then received a quick kiss, which he was also grateful, and quite happy for. They had become so used to kissing each other, that it was a normal occurrence in their daily life, but that didn't make it any less sweet. Even now, they would sometimes just start kissing each other, without any worry about which room they were in the house, or even outside. They had once gotten sidetracked while going to the hot springs, and had ended up kissing each other in the car for thirty minutes or so.

They talked while they ate, chatting about anything that came to their minds. Asuka's initial conception about the food in the grocery store was turning out to be wrong, and so they would soon have to start driving further for food. When they realized this, Asuka toyed with the idea of starting her own garden, though this came with a multitude of problems, and she would had to have started back in early spring for it to be affective. Knowing that winter was less than six months away worried them slightly, but they didn't talk about this.

Their daily lives continued in a similar manner to how things had been during the two an a half months spent in their old house in Tokyo-2, but even those times were beginning to fade from their memory. Before long, it would almost be a full year since they had begun living together, waking up on the beach of Tokyo-3 those many months ago. Whatever had happened in the past, was now the past, and so, they continued living without much worry about what the future might hold.

When Shinji was done eating, Asuka took his plate and washed it, along with her own, and Shinji leaned back in his chair relaxed, looking up at the white ceiling. Shinji wasn't in any hurry to continue developing their relationship, as he felt both were still too young to dive into the things associated with adults, but thats not to say he didn't think about it.

Whenever he held Asuka, kissed her, felt her body against his, there was always a thought in the back of his mind of 'will something happen?' Both had been careful in this regard, always breaking off physical contact to gather their thoughts instead of becoming lost in the moment. Once or twice, things had come rather close on certain occasions, but reasoning had always won through. Asuka herself seemed to have a rather particular reasoning for abstaining from this, but Shinji didn't know what it was, nor did he ask. She was always rather keen on reminding him on boundaries, and what she'd do if he attempted to cross them. Well, Shinji felt that she herself had to be reminded occasionally of these boundaries as well. Asuka was still very assertive whenever the mood struck her, and Shinji had lost track of how many times her teeth had sunk into his neck.

Above all else though, Shinji was still wondering when the words would be spoken between them. Now, there was never a moment where Shinji didn't believe that she felt that way for him, but the words, 'I love you,' coming from her, was something that he sincerely hoped to hear at some point. While he hadn't said these words to her specifically, he had mumbled them a few times besides that night when they first kissed. Once or twice, he had felt like saying them to her while they kissed, but he always held back. He wasn't sure how she'd react in all honesty. Asuka was fine showing her feelings physically now, but speaking them out loud was still difficult for her, as though someone may be eavesdropping on them. This was of course a ridiculous notion.

He thought about these things, leaning back in his chair at the dining table, while the sounds of Asuka working in front of the sink filled his ears. He had hardly seen her at all today, so he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. Shinji himself had grown more accustomed to displaying his feelings for her, and it was no longer Asuka who always took the first step.

Standing up, Shinji walked silently over to where Asuka was working. She was humming quietly to herself, focused on what she was doing, so she didn't notice him. Erasing his presence entirely, he slowly wrapped his hands around her waist, causing Asuka to jump immensely, splashing the water that she had been using from a gallon jug all over the counter. Asuka had found a small river within the towns limits shortly after they had moved in, and this is how they began washing the dishes every night. But it was still a lot of water to lose all in one go.

Darting around to look at Shinji who was directly behind him, Asuka scolded him saying-

"Don't do that. I just filled this thing earlier today, and half of it is already gone now thanks to your idiocy."

"Can I help it if I haven't seen you at all today?"

Asuka frowned at him, but turned around, returning to her work with Shinji's arms still wrapped around her waist. She wasn't about to tell him to stop holding her, since she was always pleased whenever he did so, but it was slightly different when she was focusing on something. Shinji had gotten good at concealing himself, and Asuka had her suspicions about this, but never commented on it. He knew what he was doing, and what he felt best, so she left it as it was.

As Asuka continued cleaning the dishes though, Shinji rested his head on her shoulder, causing Asuka to start squirming with his messy hair brushing against her neck. She was constantly trying to have him let her cut it, but he was stubborn about this.

"Shinji quit it. You're distracting me."

Shinji only responded by brushing his lips softly against her neck, making Asuka squirm even further, but washing the dishes was beginning to disappear from her mind.

'Fine, you win,' thought Asuka, as she turned around, and locked lips with him.

Thirty minutes roughly passed when Asuka finally untangled herself from Shinji's arms on the couch. While she always enjoyed these moments, she told him that under no such circumstances was he allowed to enter the kitchen now until she was done.

Shinji sighed rather heavily, but nodded all the same, deciding to continue reading from his book. He had already gone through the books within the house multiple times, and had since started pillaging nearby houses, looking for anything suitable to read. Asuka was the same, though her taste in books was rather skewed towards romance currently, something she probably never would have read eight months ago. Shinji didn't care as long as the premise was interesting enough, he'd give the book a chance.

He kept reading, until Asuka was finished, and then sat down on the couch beside him, stretching out so that her legs were resting on his lap. The couch was large enough for three people to sit on it, so this was an easily done feet. Setting his book down beside him, he glanced over at Asuka, seeing that she was watching him. He assumed that it was alright to kiss her again, but Asuka brought something up instead.

"Hey Shinji?"

"Hmm?"

"We should do something today."

"Oh, like what?"

"I don't know. I was honestly hoping you had an idea."

"Well, its been a while since we drove to Kyoto. We could always do that."

"Rejected."

They occasionally did this, just to break out of the routine, and drove to Kyoto. Initially, they hadn't spent much time in the city back at the end of February and early March, but they had driven there about a dozen times now. The city held so many national heritage sites, that they had been to nearly all of them by now. Most of the roads were now open as well, thanks to Shinji's use of his AT-field. They had even driven far south to Osaka, and spent a night there, but the destruction thanks to Third Impact had left the city in ruins so badly, that seeing the devastation reminded them of the world they now lived in. They hadn't been back since.

"Well, if not Kyoto, then what?"

"I don't know...I'm thinking," mumbled Asuka as she tilted her head up to the ceiling.

Shinji watched her, but eventually, Asuka gave up and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I'll think of something later I suppose."

Swinging her legs off Shinji's lap, she crawled across the couch towards him, and then leaned in to kiss him. Shinji met her lips happily, as he slowly sank into the couch with Asuka on top of him. Asuka kissed him softly, drawing out each kiss for as long as possible. The experience they had lacked initially had been completely overturned so that each knew what the other enjoyed. Soon, Asuka was grinning in spite of the situation, enjoying the pleasant feel of Shinji's lips against her own. With every kiss, she felt like she was melting in his arms.

'God, how did I end up like this?' wondered Asuka. 'How did I become so desperate for this that all other thoughts are immediately shut off? Why does kissing Shinji feel so perfect, as though it was meant to happen?'

Asuka didn't know the answer to these questions. Sure, she was in the midst of puberty, but that only explained half of the situation. If it had been any other guy, Asuka didn't think she would be having these reactions, these excited feelings coursing through her body, as though a gate within her had been opened. She longed to do more, but knew the possible repercussions.

Breaking off the kiss, Asuka leaned away from him, but still remained firmly on his waist. She felt a reaction from him, but she ignored it. Shinji was a guy afterall, and she had become used to this, but their was still a certain amount of curiosity mixed up within it all.

Before she allowed these thoughts to take hold of her in her hormonal state, she removed herself from Shinji's lap, sitting on the couch cushion beside him. There was much to be said about her feelings for Shinji, but Asuka had difficulties putting it to words. It was just something she felt, and that was it.

Sitting up, Shinji stretched as though he had just gotten done with a workout, and Asuka had to laugh at that. Glancing over at her, Shinji smirked briefly, but then stood up. He had tarried long enough with the firewood, and decided to get it out of the way.

* * *

><p>Shinji had probably chopped more than what was needed, so it took him longer than usual, but when he was done, he walked inside and washed his hands. Asuka, who had been sitting outside on the patio and reading, suddenly came in. She was grinning in a certain way that made Shinji assume she had decided what to do today, and when she spoke, Shinji confirmed that.<p>

"I know what we're doing," exclaimed Asuka.

"...Okay."

"But I'm not telling you until its ready. So with that said, I need you to vacate the house for a while."

"...Huh?" mumbled Shinji.

"It's a surprise is what I'm saying. So I want you gone for a while."

"...Alright," said Shinji, wondering what sort of idea Asuka had conjured up within her mind.

With that said, Shinji stepped into his truck and then sat there, trying to decide what he wanted to do to pass the time. But Asuka came out, carrying several empty gallon jugs, and the one that had partially spilled earlier.

"Since you made me spill this earlier, you can at least take the time to fill all these back up. Plus, this also gives you something to do while you're waiting."

"If you say so," sighed Shinji.

Frowning, Asuka said, "I do. And take as much time as possible if you can." Kissing him quickly on the cheek, Asuka hurried back inside, closing the sliding glass door with a loud snap that Shinji could hear, but not see.

Sighing again, Shinji grumbled briefly before putting the truck in reverse, and backed out of the driveway. It had been a while since he had seen Asuka this excited about something.

Reaching the top of their hill, he turned left, going in the direction of town. In truth, it was usually Asuka who went into town, since she was in charge of getting groceries, even though Shinji was the one usually left with cooking dinner. She had grown so accustomed to his cooking ability, that she preferred that he cook, since she enjoyed it that much. Shinji normally left it up to her to decide whatever he made, so she usually gathered things while at the store which she wanted. Shinji didn't mind this, since it was nice to know how much she appreciated him.

Coasting down the first hill to the bluff overlooking the town, he turned onto main street, and then drove down the second hill, reaching the flat land of the town. He passed the turn for the grocery store on his right, and a mix of small Japanese and English restaurants alike, before turning onto the main highway. Turning right would take him towards the highway which would lead to Kyoto, but instead he turned left.

He had only been up this way a handful of times, mostly with Asuka, but this was the way to the small river. He snaked his way further in as he drove along the road past growing rows of trees. He soon hit an incline, and the engine of the truck began roaring as the transmission changed gears since Shinji's foot depressed the gas more and more. Reaching the top of the hill, Shinji felt a sense of weightlessness as he looked down to the valley below. He was perched on top of hill and far below him, he could just make out the bridge that would be his destination. Letting his foot off the break, he coasted his way down the hill, coming to a stop beside the bridge.

Shinji jumped out, grabbing the many gallon jugs as he did. The river flowed underneath the bridge, and there was a small path beside the shoulder that wound its way down to the riverbed below. The river wasn't very large, about twenty five feet across, and didn't have a single point where the water went over Shinji's head.

Walking down the narrow path, Shinji first kicked off his shoes and rolled up his jeans to his knees before stepping into the water. The sun was high in the sky, and it was unbearably hot out, so Shinji rather enjoyed having this opportunity to cool himself. After he had finished filling all of the jugs, he set them to the side and pulled off his shirt, before doing the same with his pants and underwear. Nobody was going to stumble upon him right now, so there was no problem going in naked.

Wading into the middle of the river so that the water was above his waist, he suddenly dunked his head into the water, and then quickly came up, feeling refreshed. It was nice that they went to the hot springs at least once a week, and sometimes even more, but the coolness of the river in summer was more applicable.

He swam for a while, wasting away the time just as Asuka had told him, but his thoughts began to drift towards her. There was a constant strain on his self control whenever he kissed Asuka, or interacted with her in any sort of sense which could be deemed sexual. He knew he loved her, and therefore wanted to show that love in every form imaginable, but knew that he couldn't. There was a certain line that they couldn't cross currently, and while they may put one toe over the line occasionally, never did they step over it. Doing so would invoke a whole different reality for them. Shinji wasn't immune to his desires though, and had acted on them once or twice, always to his self loathing afterwards. It may seem natural to most guys that Shinji did this, but to Shinji, his love for Asuka was to a point that it felt wrong masturbating while thinking of her.

Stopping mid breaststroke, he planted his feet on the smooth rocks under his feet, and slowly walked out of the water. He dressed quickly, and then grabbed the gallon jugs now filled with water. He hadn't spent nearly enough time here, and therefore, would have to find another way to waste time for a few hours more. But he was starting to feel strong desires again, and decided that it was best not to linger here any longer. Something which would take his mind off said person was what he needed right now.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Asuka was in the middle of her own problems. This wasn't the first time she was forced into a situation where lacking normal food necessitates had given her headaches. She had normally been able to work her way around this, but it didn't seem like she would be able to this time.<p>

Asuka complained under her breath as she busied herself around the kitchen. Each counter was laden with plates and dishes, and the grill on the patio outside look as though a heart attack was imminent, if at all possible. There were far too many things happening all at once that Asuka was trying to supervise, that her head felt like exploding...and all over a stupid idea she had had about an hour ago.

'Why did I force myself into this situation?' wondered Asuka as she opened cupboards left and right. She hadn't felt this rushed since she had cooked Christmas dinner those many months ago, and that was now nothing but a distant memory.

She had started immediately after Shinji left, and when she had started, she realized just how daunting a task she had ahead of her, that is, if she wanted to follow the norm of things. The question that was posed in her mind shortly after she started was, 'how exactly do I make a picnic with the limited options I have?' For this is what Asuka was trying to create: a dinner that could be considered a picnic, shared between them in the large field behind their house. Quickly, she realized how impossible this was.

Her thoughts went first to a typical Japanese bento, but besides the rice, there wasn't much that could be used. Next came an American picnic, but that was even less useful, since she had no way of making sandwiches, and even if she had bread, cheese, meats, and vegetables were impossible to come by. With all this assumed, she created something of a frankenstein picnic, but had hit a road block. How was she supposed to keep everything warm during the hike down to the field? It would have been easy just to forgo the whole concept, but Asuka was far too stubborn for this. The most obvious means was just to have everything be eaten cold, but with most things being canned goods that required heating up to eat, this was difficult. Asuka had done her best, but still wasn't satisfied with the current results.

She didn't know what she was aiming for, and hardly understood her reasoning behind what she was doing, but she knew that it was ultimately for Shinji. Maybe she felt that things had stagnated between them lately. While they still kissed, and plenty at that, gone was the initial excitement and thrill that they had first experienced. Asuka was still very happy every time they kissed, but she wanted more. Lately, that was all that she had been feeling. Kissing wasn't enough, touching wasn't enough, she always wanted more. She still understood the boundaries, but she was always wishing that they weren't there, even though she had practically set them there herself. How many times had Asuka stopped herself while they were in bed together, when everything felt so strong? She had lost track by now.

Pausing in the middle of what she was doing, Asuka glanced around the house. It felt significantly more empty without Shinji there, something which Asuka was always reminded of whenever he left for a few hours. She was beginning to wish she hadn't asked him to leave, but that would also spoil so much. She wanted this to be unique, though in all honesty, she wasn't sure how well this would play out.

* * *

><p>Shinji didn't know how much time had passed since he had left the river: it had been several more hours certainly. He didn't have much thought in what direction he drove, though he had ended up driving closer to Kyoto. It wasn't long before he arrived at the highway that would take him to Kyoto if he so chose, but he continued driving over the bridge. He hadn't actually been out this way before, but decided to now.<p>

He drove by farmland for a while, just as what was on the opposite side, towards their house, but he soon came upon a large town, part of the larger Kyoto metropolitan area. Complete with its own police station, fire station, and K-12 schools, it was a much larger town then Shinji had expected. As with most towns around Kyoto, it also had plenty of shrines dedicated mainly to buddhist teachings. Shinji didn't have any religious beliefs, but even he felt like stepping out and praying to a shrine briefly. If nothing more, it may help his mind calm itself for a bit.

After driving around for a while, he got out, and decided to walk around, just to kill time. It was always a strange feeling whenever he walked on streets now. Was it even possible to consider this public anymore? Was it still public if you were outside your house, even though nobody else was around for several miles in all directions? Tall buildings and concrete streets surrounded him, with the odd car parked on the side here and there. Shinji passed restaurants, shopping malls, grocery stores, movie theaters, many office buildings, and even a municipal building which he suspected to be the town hall.

After walking around for a while though, he started growing bored. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had left Asuka at home, but either way, he didn't feel like staying out any longer.

Taking a different route back to his truck, he rounded a corner, and stopped as he saw two rather large office buildings side by side. Though it hadn't even been a day since he had perfected the ability, Shinji was still curious about this. The practicality made it more feasible to be used in situations more similar to this, so while he was here, he may as was well try it. The tree was afterall only about five stories tall.

Finding a suitable spot, Shinji tested the ground under his feet, before placing strength into his legs, and then lifted himself off the ground. He shot immediately upward between the two office buildings. They seemed to be part of the same complex, and both were about the same height, though near the top, the paneled glass exterior slanted at an angle similar to a triangle, before dropping straight down. Shinji repeatedly used his AT-field as a spring board whenever his momentum dropped. He knew how to time it perfectly now, and knew just how long the projection would take. This was still easy though, so Shinji decided to create a few variables in his mind.

Imagining what he would, he started jumping around within the open space as he continued rising. He created platforms faster and faster as his momentum changed, and his bodies position changed. Twisting his body in the air, so that he was he was looking down at the ground, he quickly created a platform and pushed his legs off against it. He immediately flew towards the other building, his body almost crashing into the window pane before he spun in the air again, and created another platform to jump off of.

Shinji continued doing this until he reached the top of the triangular slope. There was a small gap at the edge that allowed Shinji to sit, almost perched on the edge and look down at the city below. He was a little more than twenty stories up now, and could even see downtown Kyoto if he tilted his head to the right. He had seen a view similar to this earlier when he had done the same to reach the top of the tree, but this was on a much grander level. With the city stretched out in front of him, Shinji couldn't help but smile. His AT-field had its uses afterall, but this was for fun more than anything. He seriously doubted he'd ever have to use it for something like this.

Deciding that he may as well begin his decent, he peered over the edge, his feet dangling over the side. There was a feeling of vertigo, but also a certain thrill that Shinji felt as he looked over the edge. To anybody that didn't understand what he was doing, they may think imminent suicide was the most obvious outcome. Shinji smirked slightly, and then pushed himself off from his sitting position.

The wind rushed against his face, pressing against him far faster than when he had been ascending. From free fall though, twenty stories wasn't very far, and Shinji already had experience injuring himself if he didn't time the fall right. Climbing was always easier than descending.

Twisting his body around, he created a platform within a fraction of a second, and bounded off of it, creating wind resistance as his body slowed itself down from suddenly altering the direction. A normal human body would have been pounded by the sudden change in force, but Shinji bore it easily. He slowed himself down, altering his direction using his AT-field and his own two feet, creating enough force to slow his fall.

As he passed the five story mark, he stopped worrying about changing his direction now that he had slowed himself down considerably, and contended with creating the occasional platform. He still had to be careful with the timing though, as one false projection could screw everything up. Concentration and timing was what he had gathered from his practice, and while it was considerably better, he still hadn't reached the unconscious thought, and still required the use of his right arm every time he projected his AT-field.

Shinji lightly touched down on a spot not far from where he had started, decreasing his speed to a point that the impact was hardly felt. Looking up at the buildings above him, he had to shield his eyes from the sun to see how far he had just come. It was one thing to do that in a dense forest, but another thing entirely to do this in a once populated area. Shinji couldn't help but grin, wondering what somebody who was just passing by would think if they had seen this supernatural happenstance. Be that as it may, the only person that would likely ever see this was Asuka, and Shinji highly doubted she'd ever see it either.

Taking his time, he wandered back to his truck, thinking that enough time had probably passed now. The sun was in the midst of setting afterall.

Shinji still took his time as he drove home, hardly pushing the car over forty-five, and unknowingly, obeying the traffic speeds on the highway. He hoped that Asuka was done by now with whatever she had planned, though even if she wasn't, Shinji didn't think he could waste several more hours. He had already reached his limit, and he had wanted to spend as much time with Asuka today, which was turning out to be quite the opposite of what he had intended.

Driving through the small town, he took the familiar path back home, and minutes later, pulled into the driveway in front of the their garage. He almost half expected Asuka to come running from the patio, declaring that he was back far too soon and that he needed to turn right around again. No such thing happened, but Shinji sorta wished she would have at least come out to greet him.

Stepping out of his truck, he walked around the side of the house, and opened the sliding door. A wide range of aromas assaulted his nostrils, none of which he could accurately place. Thinking it a bit early to start dinner, he glanced over at the kitchen, but was surprised to see each countertop strewn with an odd assortment of things. Shinji was about to walk over and examine things closer though, when he heard a low moan coming from the couch.

Asuka was laying there, her legs drawn of towards her chest and her face tilted towards the fireplace. She was sleeping, though it seemed to be rather fitful. Shinji watched her for several seconds, kneeling beside her, and gazing into her face. This wasn't the first time he had done this, and neither would it be the last, but Shinji suddenly leaned in and kissed her as she slept.

Whatever she had been dreaming about, was quickly turned aside as Asuka's eyes flew wide open, and for one moment, Shinji thought that she would pushed him away, but she instead kissed him back ferociously, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him onto the couch. Shinji hadn't quite expected this reaction, as Asuka was usually more annoyed with him waking her up in such a manner, but it appeared she was eager to see him as well.

They fell into a daze as they kissed each other, but something must have reminded Asuka of what she had been doing before she fell asleep, because she suddenly pushed Shinji off her, and sat bolt upright, her eyes darting over to the kitchen.

"God damn it!" Asuka swore rather loudly.

"Asuka wha-"

"Shinji, go upstairs. Now!"

Shinji didn't need to be told twice, not when Asuka's tone was that serious. Scrambling upstairs, he could already hear the grumbling coming from Asuka as she marched into the kitchen, and the distinct scrape of plates and pans as they were moved around the kitchen. Shinji could only surmise that whatever she was doing, wasn't done, or it was, and that Shinji had almost seen something he shouldn't have.

* * *

><p>Shinji attempted to keep himself occupied while upstairs, but after twenty minutes of nothing to do, he calmly walked downstairs and entered the study, searching for something to read. While he was doing this, Asuka came up behind him and handed him the book that he had been reading earlier. It had been left in the living room, so Shinji assumed that was far too close to the kitchen, but Asuka was taking pity on him it seemed.<p>

"How much longer is this going to take?" voiced Shinji after Asuka had handed him the book.

"As long as it does," replied Asuka as she turned away from him, her snappish attitude resurfacing for a brief moment.

So, Shinji was stuck reading upstairs, his back resting against the headboard of their bed, and his legs drawn up in front of him. He was glad it was a paperback, so he could read with one hand if he wanted to, but he was constantly setting the book aside, and listening for any noise downstairs. Asuka may be frustrated over what she was dong, but she was careful at the very least, not letting anything drift upstairs for Shinji's ears.

When it was becoming far too difficult for Shinji to handle, and with the sun fast setting, he was about to go downstairs against Asuka's wishes, when he heard the slow footfalls of someone coming upstairs. He saw her before they spoke, as Asuka's figure appeared in the hallway, walking towards the bedroom. She didn't say anything as she entered, but just collapsed on the bed, forcing Shinji to move his feet out of the way.

"You alright?" asked Shinji, slightly worried about her.

"Uhhh," was all that Asuka could reply with.

Shinji placed the book on the nightstand beside him, and then sat up, crawling across the bed to sit beside Asuka. He slowly rubbed her back, since she was laying on her stomach, but she didn't say anything, only letting out a small groan.

"So, did you get everything done?"

"...Sorta," was all Asuka replied with.

She sat up though, because they didn't have any time to waste. Grabbing Shinji's hand, she tugged him off the bed, ignoring the protests that he flung in her direction. They were running on limited time, and Asuka was not about to let her efforts be in vain.

When they entered the living room, Shinji saw something that he had not expected to see. Both of their camping backpacks from months ago were placed next to the sliding door, and something else which Shinji could only imagine bore the bulk of Asuka's frustration. Just seeing it, Shinji could guess how difficult it was to put together. When he turned to Asuka to ask about this though, she just shushed him, and handed his own camping backpack to him. It was light, but there was unmistakably something inside. Slinging her own over her shoulders, and then grabbing the basket beside her, she took his hand and walked outside.

Asuka led the way, but as they started walking in a familiar direction, Shinji began to understand what she had thought. They didn't come down this way very often, but they had kept it well tended for the most part, thanks to Shinji's AT-field. It was just a matter of trimming back the brush, and making sure the grass didn't grow very high. Even so, with the sun almost gone, walking through the dense forest was like trying to walk through an underground cave, but Asuka had thankfully thought to bring a flashlight. Though it was almost night, the air wasn't cool, but still fairly warm.

They didn't talk to each other, but Asuka continued holding Shinji's hand as they walked. She wasn't afraid of losing him in the dark, but the extra warmth of his hand kept her reassured.

Eventually, they broke through the group of trees, and stepped into the field. It was nearly twilight, and the green grass was just barely visible in the disappearing light. Asuka frowned, wishing that she hadn't fallen asleep earlier, since they'd have more light if she had gotten done sooner, but that was also why she had decided to bring both the backpacks.

Letting go of Shinji's hand, Asuka placed the basket on the grass, and then unslung her pack, going through its content. Shinji didn't say anything to her, his eyes fixed on the sky above them. The stars were already starting to come out, and he could see the distinct line of the Milky Way galaxy above them that was sometimes visible on clear nights. Turning his attention to Asuka, he saw what she had been rummaging around for.

She had pulled out some scraps of paper, and a couple of small stones, which she placed in a ring. Walking back to the edge of the forest, she gathered some dry leaves and small branches, placing them in the ring of stones. Dumping the paper on the stack, she pulled some matches out of a pocket in her backpack, and lit the paper. It immediately caught, the fire licking the leaves and branches until the fire was threatening to spill out of the ring of stones. The dry grass underneath it was immediately charred black, and Asuka had to be careful not to let the fire spread any further.

When she felt it was satisfactory, she motioned to Shinji to pass his backpack to him. Shinji did so without question, and Asuka pulled out a bundle of blankets, one of which she placed on the ground, spreading it out so at least four people could easily sit on it without spilling onto the grass. The others she placed off to the side for now.

Finishing with these preparations, Asuka finally grabbed the basket and placed it beside her. Letting out a low sigh, she glanced over at Shinji and then motioned for him to sit next to her. Shinji did so with hesitation, and was about to say something, when Asuka interrupted him.

"Don't say anything. I'm in charge here."

Shinji swallowed what he had been about to say, but nodded all the same.

Slowly, Asuka began passing him things. Shinji had no idea how much she put into the moderately sized basket, but the rice itself probably filled the very bottom of the basket at least. It was sealed in a plastic container, neatly packed inside, and sprinkled with a very minute amount of garlic. They ate it together, shared between them using the utensils that Asuka had provided, while the fire continued roaring in front of them.

After the rice, Asuka continued bringing more thinks out. Now that Shinji saw everything, it was obvious that Asuka had tried to create a picnic of sorts, but there were obvious things that she couldn't simply work around, so she had created something herself. Canned vegetables had been sautéed in a manner of ways, creating something that you'd never guess had come from a can. A rich soup, hand craft by Asuka, was so strong that Shinji had to reach for a cup of tea more than once. The soup and tea were supplied by large thermoses for each, and Shinji wondered where Asuka had found them, since he had certainly never seen them in their house before.

Shinji was always glad whenever Asuka decided to cook, since it gave him a break, but their was also something else. Knowing that she specifically was thinking of him while she cooked, and in particular, this meal, always brought a smile to his face.

When the different food sources started to taper off, and Asuka was beginning to pack everything back in the basket, Shinji fell onto his back, and placed his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky. The stars were almost fully in bloom above him in the night sky now, and the moon was just started to shed some light onto the field where he lay. It was a wonderful night Shinji thought.

Wordlessly, he heard rustling coming from Asuka's direction, and glanced over at her. She was finished packing everything back into the basket, and was now gathering up the blankets she had tossed to the side earlier. Nudging her way over to Shinji, she grabbed one of the larger blankets, and tossed it over himself, before laying down beside him, and crawling under the blanket as well.

"Asuka, thanks for this," said Shinji as he continued to look at her. "It was a nice change of pace from what we've been doing recently. Just laying out here, I feel relaxed."

Asuka didn't say anything. She was looking up the sky, but there seemed to be something on her mind. Noticing this, Shinji propped himself on one arm to get a better look at her and asked, "Something wrong Asuka?"

Again, she didn't say anything, but she did react. Slowly turning towards him, Asuka placed her hand on Shinji's chest, and pushed him onto his back. Dragging the blanket with her, Asuka mounted Shinji, and then leaned into his chest, resting her entire body on his.

"Asuka?" wondered Shinji.

"...Like I said, I'm in charge right now," mumbled Asuka, before she tilted her head upwards and kissed him.

Shinji had rather expected this, but not in a position like this. He could feel Asuka's warm body pressing against his own, her waist against his, her breasts pressing against his chest, and then he felt a reaction from his own waist.

'Not now,' thought Shinji, but Asuka just continued kissing him, not caring about the thing poking against her hips. Besides, Asuka was feeling aroused as well.

While she continued kissing him, Asuka ran her hands along Shinji chest. Shinji was tall, though rather skinny, but Asuka could still feel his muscles. She wondered whether this was from his natural body's composition, or if the months of chopping firewood had finally bulked him up a bit. Neither really matter, but Asuka did enjoy the feel.

Asuka played with the hem of his shirt, and his collar. She was debating on something, but not sure whether she wanted to take another step. Shinji didn't have any clue, and just continued kissing her as they lay with each other. Taking the initiative, Shinji's tongue entered Asuka's mouth, kissing her deeply, and for a moment, Asuka completely forgot what she was attempting to do, loosing herself entirely in the kiss. Around them, small animals began to roam the night, but both were oblivious to this.

Breaking off the kiss momentarily, Asuka drew back from Shinji, sitting on his waist and looking down at him. She was biting her lip seductively, her body silhouetted against the fire behind her. Shinji nearly gave into his animals instincts, and probably would have pushed her down if Asuka hadn't moved. Leaning back down towards Shinji, he expected her to continue kissing him, but instead, she attacked from a different angle.

Her hands grabbed the hem of his shirt, and began pulling it up over his head. Shinji started at this, but Asuka sealed his muted reply with a sudden forceful kiss, her tongue immediately entwining with his. Whatever protest Shinji was about to make melted away, being replaced by eagerness. Breaking off the kiss, Shinji let Asuka remove his shirt the rest of the way so that his chest was bare. Asuka looked down at Shinji's chest unsure exactly what she was doing. She had seen his bare chest plenty of times by now, but this was the first time she was ever this close. Placing her hand on his skin, she felt Shinji shiver at her touch, and thought she felt him grow even harder at the waist. Asuka wasn't sure how far she wanted to take this.

Running her hands along his chest, she traced out the groves of his ribcage, following up to his collarbone, and then to his shoulder. Shinji squirmed immensely as she did this, and even more so when Asuka's silky hair brushed against his skin. She was certainly teasing him now, but Shinji didn't have the means of retaliating right now.

Asuka continued exploring Shinji's upper body, not leaving any part of it untouched. Whenever Shinji was about to voice his thoughts, Asuka would silence him with a quick kiss, to which Shinji would lapse back into a daze. It was hard for him to believe that Asuka was doing this right now, but she had wanted this it seemed.

Seeming to be done with her exploration, Asuka let out a deep sigh. She didn't want to admit it, but she was aroused just by being this near to Shinji. Her hands against his chest, his body heat against her own; everything was making Asuka's body excited. She tried ignoring a certain wetness that was spreading between her legs, but this was a sure sign of her arousal. If she took another step, she wasn't sure what would happen.

"Asuka, you alright?" asked Shinji.

Shinji asked this because Asuka had stopped what she was doing, but was sitting silently on Shinji's lap for a good minute now. She was looking at him, but at the same time, she wasn't, contemplating something in her own mind.

"Sorry...what?" mumbled Asuka.

Shinji frowned, but then sat up to get a better look at her, the resulting shift in body position making Asuka inhale suddenly. They were inches away from each other now, with Asuka still sitting in Shinji's lap. Asuka bit her lip, but in was in frustration now. She didn't know what she wanted at this point. She wanted to continue, but was unsure.

"Asuka...if you want to stop, I understand."

Asuka didn't meet his gaze, but looked away, her face a mixture of frustration and longing. They couldn't go all the way, that much was certain, but Asuka had hoped for more.

Shinji continued watching the different emotions Asuka was battling with. Shinji was still bare chested, but he hardly seemed to notice. His eyes were transfixed on Asuka. Whatever Shinji wanted was null void unless he heard something from Asuka.

"...Hey Shinji? asked Asuka in a weak voice.

"...Yes?"

"...Hold me."

Shinji did so, with any hesitation, wrapping his arms around Asuka, and held her to his bare chest. Shinji didn't know what else she wanted, but at the very least, he could do this.

Asuka's hands were at her side, and she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with them. She could easily hold Shinji as well, but she didn't think this was it. She wanted more, she wanted what she had done for Shinji.

Slowly, she moved her hands, and then placed them on Shinji's arm, grasping him slightly. Asuka directed his arms away from her back slowly. Shinji was only following, not having a clue what Asuka was doing. Asuka searched Shinji's eyes for any sign of expectance, though all she could see was puzzlement. It wasn't surprising that he didn't understand what Asuka was about to do.

Letting out her worries in a deep exhale, Asuka directed Shinji's hands to her waist, and then slowly up her bare back. At first, Shinji didn't realize what Asuka was doing, or telling him silently. Shinji's hands were gliding across her skin, the fabric of her shirt brushing against his knuckles. Asuka let go of Shinji's hands, and they began to move on their own. Asuka shivered at his touch, scrunching her face up, but this was when Shinji kissed her. The kiss had been hesitant, but Asuka replied with force, pushing Shinji back to the ground.

Shinji's hands were now halfway along Asuka's back, her shirt pushed up, exposing her waist and lower back. With every touch and caress, Asuka shivered, her body squirming with pleasure and ecstasy. Shinji was far better than Asuka would have thought, and small moans began leaking out of her mouth, all of which were quickly silenced by a kiss. Shinji was careful though as he ran his hands along her back, his hands skipping several times across the clasp to her bra. Her shirt was hiked up far enough for him see her bra if he desired, but the last thing he need was for the clasp to unhook because of his carelessness. It would be a pleasant sight, but his consciousness would likely disappear afterwards.

They became lost in the moment quickly, kissing each other and touching each other. Asuka began brushing her lips along his neck and biting at his ear, to which Shinji replied in turn, kissing Asuka's neck while his fingernails lightly traced themselves along her smooth back. This attack was far too much for Asuka, and Shinji was beginning to get new scars along his back thanks to Asuka's nails.

After what seemed like hours, they finally paused after a long kiss, and then Asuka sank onto Shinji's chest, panting wildly. Shinji was panting himself, which was nearly unheard of for him. Both of their bodies were slick with sweat, as though they had just run several miles. Though night had long set in, both were burning up with what felt like a fever, but it was just their bodies rubbing against one another.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Shinji ran his hands through his hair, wishing that he could take a cool swim to rinse the sweat off himself, but he didn't think he'd be getting up anytime soon. Asuka it seemed was nodding off, the exhaustion apparent on her face, and Shinji had to rouse her before she tilted her head up to look at him.

"Why did you do that? I was about to fall asleep."

"It's a bit warm to be laying like this."

Asuka frowned, but nodded in agreement. Sitting up, she pushed her shirt down, glancing over at Shinji, wondering if he had seen anything. Whether he did, he didn't comment, but Asuka supposed that even if he had, she wouldn't care. She was beyond caring about idiotic things like that at this point.

Throwing herself down on the ground next to Shinji, she wrapped herself snuggly in the blankets, and then turned to press herself against him. Shinji hadn't bothered to put his shirt back on, but Asuka didn't mind, and might have preferred it that way.

They had pushed the boundaries further today, but there was still much unsaid. Asuka wasn't sure how she felt about this. She knew how she felt, and she knew how Shinji felt, so it was a simple matter of telling each other their feelings. That being said, for Asuka, it was easier showing, instead of telling.

"Thanks again for today Asuka," mumbled Shinji beside her.

Asuka grinned briefly, before she turned her eyes up towards him, and kissed him quickly.

"You're welcome," smiled Asuka, before she curled herself up next to Shinji, and quickly fell asleep. Shinji fell asleep quickly as well, the fatigue from the night getting a hold of him. Kissing Asuka on the forehead, he thought he heard her mumble something in her sleep, but then shook his head, thinking that he misheard. Even had he heard right, he wanted to hear it from her while she was awake, and not asleep.

Pressing his chin against her head, he fell asleep, while above them, the moon shined down on them, and the stars waited to usher in a new dawn.

* * *

><p><strong>Not a whole lot to say about this chapter, since it's just continuing to develop their relationship. Still aiming for another chapter towards the end of the month, so expect the next chapter then, where the next setting will be winter .<strong>


	26. Sensual

**Got this done a lot quicker than I had initially anticipated, so bit of a surprise update. Unlikely that I'll get another chapter done before the end of the month, but we'll see. **

* * *

><p>"Aren't you done yet?" exclaimed Asuka while she leaned against the shopping cart inside the grocery store.<p>

"You're the one that suggested we stop here instead of taking food with us," sighed Shinji while he looked at the row of canned goods on the shelf.

"I'm starting to wish that I didn't," grumbled Asuka.

"Well, I think this is the last of it anyway," said Shinji as he dumped a few cans into the cart.

"Good," said Asuka, seeming to brighten up considerably.

Pushing the shopping cart to the end of the isle, they performed one final cursory glance around the store, trying to decide whether they needed anything else. Neither could think of anything though, so they pushed the shopping cart towards the exit. When they stepped outside, Asuka couldn't help but shiver.

Their vision was obscured by a flurry of white; winter had arrived at their doorstep. Powdery snow covered the parking lot of the grocery store in the small town that they inhabited, marred only by the tire tracks of their station wagon and truck, signifying the many times they had come down this way. It was early December, and though it had started snowing earlier this year, it wasn't nearly as bad as the winter they had spent back in Tokyo-2 where they had been snowed in for several days.

They were both bundled up for the cold, though Asuka had several more layers on, making her look like the abominable snowman. She was sporting a sweatshirt, and over this a jacket, with her hood drawn up, and mittens that covered her hands. Shinji was only wearing a sweatshirt with a hood, but Asuka had grown used to him not needing much to stay warm.

They packed the groceries into the back of the car, while Asuka began complaining about the cold, and Shinji kept silent. Hopefully, she wouldn't be doing this the entire time they were away.

Stepping into the front seat, Asuka pulled off her gloves and then flexed her fingers multiple times before starting the car.

"You ready?" asked Asuka as she turned towards Shinji who sat beside her.

"Yeah."

"Alright, then lets get out of here!" said Asuka excitedly.

Throwing the car in reverse, she backed out of the lot, and onto main street, but instead of going up the hill to their house, she followed the road down to the highway, and then turned in the direction of Kyoto.

"Ah, I can't wait for this," grinned Asuka as she turned towards Shinji.

"I have to agree," smirked Shinji

* * *

><p>It had started yesterday night. After dinner, both of them were sitting on the couch with the fire roaring in front of them, and a blanket shared between them. The initial excitement of the new snow had quickly faded away, and Asuka in particular was starting to grow increasingly frustrated with how cold it had gotten. Sure, there was an added bonus of being able to stay glued to each others side nearly every day, but they did this because of their feelings for each other, not because it was cold.<p>

"I'm bored," Asuka said. She was leaning against Shinji, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Not sure what you expect me to do about that," Shinji said. Though Shinji said this, he had to agree with her. He had forgotten how much downtime they had during the winter months, and it was only starting. On the bright side, it didn't seem as harsh as last years, but the days were sluggishly going by it felt.

"And its too cold."

"Again, I don't know what you want me to do about that."

"Ahhh, this sucks," groaned Asuka, suddenly sitting up straight and throwing her arms up into the air. "I'm bored, it's cold, and it's gonna be like this for the next three fucking months. I hate this!"

"...You aren't the only one," sighed Shinji.

"I don't see you doing anything to help the situation," said Asuka as she rounded on him.

"I could complain like you are."

Asuka pinched his cheek roughly in reply to his snide comment. Shinji retaliated by kissing her, catching Asuka off guard momentarily. She happily accepted it though, and they fell into the motions as they always did. As they kissed though, Asuka's mind continued churning in the background, to which she finally came up with a solution to both her boredom, and the cold.

Breaking off the kiss, Asuka looked beside her and said to Shinji, "I've got it. Tomorrow, we're gonna spend the whole day at the hot springs."

Shinji didn't know how to reply to that, but Asuka continued kissing him again, so he forgot about it for a while. At least, until he woke up that next morning, and Asuka made good on her word.

* * *

><p>So, currently, they were driving along the highway north that would take them to the hot springs. They hadn't been up this way since it had started snowing, so Asuka was careful on the highway. Looking back on it, Shinji had to admit this was a brilliant idea. It had been about two weeks since they had come up this way, and it would be nice to just relax in the hot springs all day. He wasn't sure about sleeping in a bed that he wasn't comfortable with, but he would worry about that later.<p>

It was nearly a full year now since they had started living in their house, and it was now over a year since they had woken up in Tokyo-3. So much had happened to them since then, but a lot of it was a blur to Shinji. They were older now, both around sixteen years of age, so they were certainly more mature than they used to be, but there was still the occasional childish comment or remark from them. They couldn't be considered children after everything they'd been through, but neither had they full matured yet, so they couldn't really be considered adults either.

They continued pushing the limits of their relationship, testing the boundaries and occasionally pushing the line further and further out, but they still hadn't reached the all important 'act' yet. They had however started to explore each other further, and Shinji now rarely slept in anything other than a single pair of shorts. Asuka had grown used to this, and seemed to fall asleep easier it seemed too sometimes when she was resting against Shinji's bare chest.

Occasionally, Asuka would even let up her defenses. She was always careful about how much she would let Shinji touch, and always stopped short of her beasts and butt, but nearly everything else was fair game. Shinji had quickly come to the conclusion that Asuka was immensely ticklish at her stomach, and enjoyed teasing her whenever she allowed. There was still always the temptation about her breasts and butt though, both of which had become more accented. Shinji sometimes wondered if she wasn't just teasing him, wondering if she could break him into coping a feel, but he had proved resilient so far.

It took them far longer to drive to the hot springs than normally, due to the slickness of the roads. The station wagon functioned better on snow and ice than the truck did, so they had been driving it for the past two weeks since it had started snowing.

They eventually arrived though, and before Shinji could even say anything about unpacking the car, Asuka had already jumped out, and with her backpack in hand, darted into the front doors. Shinji let out an exasperated sigh, and then slowly began taking in everything they had brought from the food they had gathered at the grocery store, to their own blankets and pillows. Grabbing his own backpack, he trudged down the hallway and entered the changing room, changing into a pair of swim trunks.

Passing by the lockers and towel dispensary, he opened the door into the open air bath, and wasn't surprised to see Asuka already there, floating with ease in the water.

From their many trips to the hotel, they had learned that their were many different hot springs, from indoor, to outdoor, and mixed bathing ones, as well as a particularly large one that could double as a swimming pool. This last one was the one they frequented the most, and the one that Shinji knew he'd find Asuka at.

"What took you so long?" asked Asuka as she rolled in the water to look at him.

"Bringing everything in. What did you think?"

"You couldn't save that for later?"

"I'd rather get it done now. Besides, it was a lot."

Sitting down on the edge, Shinji stuck his legs into the water. His upper body was still exposed to the elements, though his lower was burning up, making it a very odd combination. It felt good in a strange way, and Shinji felt his eyes wavering slightly.

"Aren't you coming in all the way?" asked Asuka.

"I will in a minute," said Shinji, enjoying the mixture of hot and cold enveloping his body.

Asuka frowned at this, and then slowly walked over to him. Shinji was hardly paying her any attention, which was the complete opposite of what Asuka wanted right now. Crouching down so that everything but her face was submerged in the water, Shinji finally took notice of this strange behavior, and looked at her.

"Asuka, what are you do-"

Shinji didn't finished his sentence, as Asuka suddenly grabbed his ankles that were submerged in the water, and using all of her strength, which was nothing to laugh at, pulled him all the way into the water.

Shinji sank down immediately, being submerged entirely, the sudden change in temperature assaulting his upper body almost unbearable. He opened his eyes underwater, and saw that Asuka had submerged herself as well, a mischievous grin plastered across her face. He had a sudden urge to swim towards her and kiss her while they were both underwater, but he held himself back.

Breaking the surface, he let out heavy breath and then looked over at Asuka who had just emerged as well.

"Why did you do that?" asked Shinji.

"Because you were being dumb," answered Asuka playfully.

Now that Shinji saw Asuka standing fully upright, he found his gaze locked to her body. She was wearing a red bikini that didn't leave much to the imagination. It was nothing like the white bikini she had initially wore when her figure wasn't as full. Her distinct cleavage was visible at this distance, beads of water apparent on her white skin. The shape of her butt clearly defined thanks to the strip of red cloth fastened securely around her hips. Shinji had to swallow a multitude of thoughts as he stared at her, knowing that he was aroused. Asuka just smiled at him knowingly, before sinking back into the water, floating there.

'You really are too much Asuka,' thought Shinji before he too sank back down into the water as well.

Looking up at the sky, he could only describe it as a murky grey. He wondered if they'd get more snow today, since they hadn't had any for about two days now. The ground all around the hot springs and the small bushes and trees all had snow on them. The whole place looked like a dream almost.

"I'm glad you decided to come here today Asuka," said Shinji, as he continued to look up at the sky.

"I'm glad you like it," said Asuka, her voice far closer to him then he had thought.

Looking away from the sky, Shinji looked down and saw that Asuka had filled his vision. She was grinning at him again, her eyes sparkling with a kind of seductiveness. Asuka was exuding her desires in waves directed at Shinji, making him start to feel uncomfortable.

'And I was just starting to regain control of myself,' thought Shinji as Asuka pressed her hands against his chest. She ran her hands over his chest, passing over every grove and line on his chest. Shinji had to hold his breath when her hands passed over his nipples. She had gotten far too good at this, and Shinji's mind was fast turning into white noise.

Pushing him backwards till he hit the edge of the hot springs, Asuka leaned up and kissed him quickly, her hands still pressed against his chest. Shinji kissed her back, though he was unsure what he should do with his own hands. The natural thing would have been to wrap them around Asuka's back, but he wasn't sure that was what she wanted right now.

Asuka removed her hands from his chest though, and wrapped them around his back, pressing her entire body against him as they kissed. This stimulus was far too much for Shinji. Asuka's breasts, covered only by the thin fabric of the bikini, pressed against his chest, their suppleness only too apparent in the way they pressed against his chest. This was too far for Shinji though, and rather sudden. He wanted nothing more than to pull off that top concealing what was underneath, but he couldn't, not unless Asuka told him to.

"Asuka...hang on," Shinji spoke in between kisses. Asuka seemed to have lost herself though, and only when Shinji held her by the shoulders to stop her feverish kissing did she listen.

"What?" she finally asked, her face dyed red, though whether it was the heat from the hot springs, or embarrassment, Shinji wasn't sure.

"Sorry, this is too much."

"What is?" asked Asuka with a raised eyebrow.

"...Your breasts pressing against me," Shinji stated after much deliberation.

Asuka had to give him some credit, since she didn't actually think that he would bring it up. Now that he said it though, she was overly aware of what she was doing. She had grown used to interacting with each other this naturally, but because of the heat of the hot springs, and her own body, she had forgotten herself for a while.

"Right...sorry, I might have gone too far," mumbled Asuka.

"No, you didn't. I just-"

"No. My bad. Really, I should't have done that I just-"

But Asuka didn't get much farther than that. She felt her vision begin to fade, and lost her balance, falling into Shinji's chest again. Thinking that it had been on purpose, Shinji was startled, but noticed that she was breathing rather erratic.

"Asuka?"

"...Sorry...I think the heat might be getting to me. I'm not feeling so great."

Her consciousness was fading, which quickly became apparent to Shinji. She seemed to be having a bought of heat stroke. Lifting her up, Shinji left the hot springs with Asuka against his chest. She was still breathing rather raggedly, and he couldn't imagine her body was reacting very well against the sudden change in temperature. His own body was screaming at him for the sudden change.

Kicking open the sliding door, he stepped through the changing room where both his and Asuka's clothes were. The thought of forcefully changing Asuka didn't exist in Shinji's mind: he didn't think he could handle the strain. Instead, he walked up a set of wooden stairs to the second floor where most of the rooms were. Shinji had already placed their luggage in a large room that was about as large as a suite.

Thankfully, he had left the door open earlier, so he didn't have to worry about kicking it down. The room was spacious, the bedroom and the rest of the room separated by a series of sliding doors. It came complete with a couch, table and chairs, and a mini fridge with bar. On the opposite side of the room was another sliding glass door, leading to the outside, though the balcony was piled with snow. Now that Shinji was fresh out of the hot springs, he didn't realize how low the temperature was, though since he still only had his swimming trunks on, that probably didn't help.

Setting Asuka down on bed, he opened his own backpack and removed a towel, proceeding to dry her off as best as he could. Asuka had her eyes closed, and was still panting, but the complexion in her face was starting to return to a normal hue. After several minutes of this, Asuka finally took the towel from him and said-

"I can do the rest, so find me something to wear."

Shinji was glad that she had said this, since he wasn't sure how to dry her chest area. While Asuka continued to dry herself, Shinji rummaged through her backpack, searching for stuff that would be warm enough. When he opened a certain pocket though, and saw an assortment of brightly colored underwear, he blindly grabbed two colors, hoping that they were a matching pair. Other than this, he had chosen a pair of navy blue jeans, and a white t-shirt with matching sweatshirt.

Turning around, he walked back into the bedroom, but paused when he saw Asuka. Her back was turned towards him, but Shinji didn't need her facing him to know she was naked. She was running the towel through her long hair, but her bare back was fully exposed to him. From the back of her neck, nearly down to the crevice of her butt, Shinji could see everything. Asuka did have the foresight to pile the blanket directly behind her, concealing her butt. Needless to say, Shinji was captivated by this sight, and it wouldn't have been surprisingly if he had dropped the clothes he had been carrying.

He managed to tear his gaze away from her beautiful figure however, and with his eyes directed at the floor, walked over to the bed and place the clothes behind her.

"Ah, thanks Shinji," said Asuka. Her voice was rather rushed, so it seemed she was conscious of the situation at least.

"Yeah, no problem," mumbled Shinji. As he turned to leave though, Asuka stopped him.

"You don't have to go into the other room you know, you can stay right here."

"...But you-"

"Just stay turned around. Besides it's not like-"

Asuka cut herself off though. What had she been about to say, that it didn't matter whether he saw her naked or not? This wasn't true, as anybody would be embarrassed if someone of the opposite sex saw them naked, but Shinji had already seen her back at the very least, and it wasn't like the bikini she had be wearing was that modest in the first place.

"Well, do whatever you want then I guess," said Asuka after her pause.

Shinji continued facing away from her, while Asuka finished drying herself off. If Shinji was truly honest with himself, he didn't only want to stay here, but embrace Asuka from behind as well. Just the sight of her bare back was enough to arouse him all over again. Sometimes he wondered if Asuka took her beauty for granted sometimes, but every passing day, Shinji was reminded of it. Still, it was either stay, or don't.

He decided to stay, probably against his better judgement, but he wanted to be close to her. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Shinji heard Asuka pause briefly, before continuing to run the towel through her hair. There had been a brief surge of tension, but it had disappeared quickly. Shinji let out an inaudible sigh, aware how small of a distance separated himself from Asuka's nakedness.

Moments later, Shinji felt sometime soft hit his head from behind.

"You haven't dried yourself yet," came Asuka's voice behind him. "I'm done, so you should dry yourself as well."

This made sense, but Shinji was all too aware that the towel Asuka had passed him, was the one she had just finished using. It was still wet, and he could very distinctly smell the flowery sent from her hair wafting off the fabric. But it would have seemed ungrateful if he didn't accept this, so he began drying his body while Asuka began changing behind him. He felt the bed shifting while she dressed, and the pile of clothes between them became smaller.

When Asuka had finished dressing, she turned around to Shinji, but he was still drying himself, working the towel through his hair. His back was to her, and Asuka wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss his neck, but she instead took the towel from him.

"Asuka?" Shinji asked, startled that the towel had suddenly left his hands.

"Here, let me do this since you helped earlier.

Shinji nodded wordlessly, letting Asuka run the towel through his hair for several minutes. After she deemed it good enough, she tossed the towel to the side, and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him backwards towards her.

"Asuka wha-"

Shinji was silenced with a kiss as Asuka pulled him back into her arms. They collapsed on the bed, Shinji resting on top of Asuka, but after several seconds of kissing, Shinji had to stop.

"Just to be sure, you're feeling better right?"

"Yeah, sorry about earlier," smiled Asuka.

With that simple exchange out of the way, Shinji leaned in to kiss her once more, before returning to the living room.

"What are you doing?" asked Asuka, clearly wishing that he hadn't left.

"I don't plan on walking around with my swim trunks on for the rest of the day," stated Shinji.

"Oh, right," mumbled Asuka. "Well, I guess this is a good time as any to prepare lunch then," she said as she got off the bed.

* * *

><p>Their time at the hot springs slowly ticked by. They had brought all of the necessities with them, so cooking wasn't a problem with the camping stove they had. Asuka made soup to warm them up, but even that only helped relieve the cold for a limited time. It was rather unnerving how much they relied on the fireplace back home to keep them warm during cold days like today. The only bright side was that it hadn't started snowing again yet.<p>

Sipping cups of tea while snuggled against one another, they were seated on the single couch with a blanket wrapped around them. Shinji had toyed with walking around the small town for a while, but he didn't think Asuka would want to brave the cold. He was probably fine with it himself, but she would likely start complaining as soon as they got outside.

"Hey Shinji?" asked Asuka suddenly.

"What's up?"

"Well, I was just wondering, seeing as how we've been together for over a year now, do you ever wish that things were different?"

"...As in our relationship, or-"

"Nothing like that, and I don't think you'd have to answer even if that was my question. No, I meant that our lives themselves."

"Well, there's plenty that I wish could be different. Even I get sick having to deal with canned food day after day, and what I wouldn't give for running water. We've got a house to keep us warm though, so it's not like we lack that at least."

"You're still not getting me. This life," said Asuka as she gestured with her hands between them, "Is there anything you'd wish was different, or want to change."

"So this is about our relationship?" asked Shinji, feeling far more puzzled than when Asuka had first started talking.

"God, you're being dense," groaned Asuka, as she tilted her head back and spoke to the ceiling. She really didn't want to spell it out for him, but it looked like she might have to.

"Um, Asuka, are you perhaps suggesting whether I'd want to be living like this with anyone else?"

"No, and besides, I already know what the answer to that is," sighed Asuka.

"Then what-"

"Never mind. Forget it. Dumb thing to ask anyway," mumbled Asuka.

Shinji blinked several times, still not sure what Asuka was talking about. She was sulking a bit now, so Shinji put an arm around her trying to comfort her. Asuka stubbornly refused his advances for several minutes in silence until she finally turned towards him and pinched his cheek roughly.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being annoying and dense," said Asuka right before she kissed him. For all her comments, she didn't really care one way or another.

The kiss was quick, and rather lacking in Shinji's opinion, so when he drew close to her again, Asuka held her hand up and said, "Don't want to right now."

Shinji didn't like this response though, so he started kissing her hand, at which point Asuka truly became annoyed at him.

"Seriously, quit it Shinji. I'm not in the mood right now."

"Then you shouldn't have kissed me first," stated Shinji.

"That was," started Asuka as she dug around her mind for an excuse, but she couldn't find one.

"You just wanted to," smirked Shinji, knowing that this was the truth.

"It's not like that's a bad thing," mumbled Asuka.

"So lets continue," said Shinji.

'God, when did he become so pushy?' thought Asuka as she looked at Shinji.

"Later," said Asuka. "I'm going back to the hot springs."

"Is that such a good idea?" asked Shinji leaning away from her slightly.

"I plan on relaxing in the woman's bath, so that means you're forbidden from going over there."

'Besides,' thought Asuka, 'the only reason I got heat stroke was because I over exerted myself because you were there.'

"Right," grumbled Shinji.

Shinji watched her gather up a couple things before she left. Occasionally, Asuka would do this when they went to the hot springs, and occupied the woman's bath by herself, just to collect her thoughts and relax. During these times, Shinji was forbidden from seeking her out or joining her, and Shinji assumed this was because she usually entered while naked. He still wasn't sure whether this was smart, considering that it hadn't been very long since her bout of heat stroke.

With Asuka gone, the room felt significantly more empty, and Shinji was wishing that he had brought a book to read if he knew they would be spending time apart like this. He still wondered what Asuka had been talking about earlier, but nothing clicked in his brain.

Standing up, he placed the two empty tea cups on the makeshift counters. He was quickly growing bored, and thought about going to the mens side himself, but pushed that proposal away. In all likelihood, he'd just begin thinking about Asuka's naked figure in the hot springs by herself, and that would probably lead to a very unwise decision.

Instead, he decided to walk outside, since Asuka wouldn't be coming back for at least an hour, if not more. Without her complaining about the cold, Shinji could walk around the small town.

As has been said before, the town had only a single road running through it, with the shops and small stores lining the side of the street. The hot springs was the main attraction of the town, and the Shinto shrine which was a popular spot for tourists, as well as the Japanese people. It was a rather well known shrine apparently.

Slipping on a sweatshirt over his long sleeve shirt, Shinji left their room, and walked down the flight of stairs before exiting the hotel. His feet crunched on the snow as he walked passed their car parked closest to the front. He didn't know where the sidewalk was, so he just walked down the middle of the road. The sky above him was still a murky grey, but it hadn't started snowing, yet.

This wasn't the first time he had walked around the town, but certainly the first while the snow was present. During one of their early trips to the hot springs, they had ventured up to the shrine in the afternoon, and explored the surrounding area. As with most Japanese shrines, the grounds themselves were beautiful, scenery that seemed unique to the shrine itself.

Because of the snow, he initially passed the small turn off which led to to the shrine. It was in the hills above the village, and could only be traveled to after a long hike up. Several cars lined the street where people had likely stopped to get out, and one large tour bus was lined up against the curb as well.

The steps were covered with snow, but underneath them, a thin layer of ice had formed, so Shinji was careful as he began the steady climb to the shrine above. The trees and bushes around him were powdery white as though they had been dipped in flour, and the handrail which wound its way up was covered with frozen icicles. Shinji kept his hands in his pockets as he climbed, slightly wishing that he had brought gloves.

Before long, the scenery began to change as the rows of red arches appeared before him. The climb became steadily steeper, and Shinji started to breath harder, his breath clearly visible in the frigid air. The steps rose and fell, twisting upwards with the occasional bench for people out of breath to rest briefly. Shinji didn't pause though, and continued climbing.

As he reached the last few steps, he could see the shrine emerging through the line of tree in front of him. Compared to the ones in downtown Kyoto, it was minuscule, hardly a fraction of the size, but it was still an important shrine.

Walking along the narrow path, Shinji crossed over a small bridge that had a stream, completely frozen over, running under it. The path was even more treacherous here, the smooth brick covered with ice underneath the snow so easy to slip on.

Back in the summer, the sight from on top of the bridge looking over the valley below was something to behold, and while still breathtaking with the whole valley white, was a different sight entirely. Shinji paused as he stood in the middle, looking to the hills across from him. The village was in the middle, so from here, he couldn't see the small structures below, but he knew Asuka was down there somewhere.

Turning back to the shrine, he walked up the few front steps, and opened the shoji doors to the interior, if it could be called that. It was hardly bigger than their walk in closet back home, but it was large enough for Shinji to walk in at least. The structure was only one story, with no windows and at the center was a shrine dedicated to some god. Shinji had already been here before, but he didn't pray for anything at the time. Again, Shinji wasn't religious, but that didn't mean he didn't understand certain Japanese customs.

Clapping his hands together, he stood in front of the shrine for several seconds, making a silent prayer, and then stood back. He didn't expect anything to happen, but it was more for his conscious than anything. If God, or this god did exist, would He have allowed Third Impact to happen? This was all far above Shinji's head though, and he could only hope for what the future may bring.

He didn't linger around the shrine very long after this, and began walking down the steps to the village below. He figured that Asuka would be done with her bath by now, and probably wondering where he had run off to.

* * *

><p>When he opened the door to the hotel, Shinji just caught Asuka exiting the bathhouse it seemed. Her hair was done up in a ponytail, and she had her towel draped across her shoulders, and she was wearing a long t-shirt that went below her waist, and what he could only assume were shorts underneath that.<p>

"Did you go outside?" wondered Asuka in amazement.

"Ah, yeah. I just got back. You done with your bath?"

"Yeah, I am. Where did you go?"

"The shrine," shrugged Shinji.

"Hmm?" muttered Asuka with a raised eyebrow. "Well, either way, I feel loads better now that I've had time to relax."

She stretched, throwing her arms up in the air, and Shinji thought that her shirt was going to reveal her navel, but it didn't, much to his displeasure. Asuka walked over to him though, and cupped his cheeks with her hands making Shinji think she was about to kiss him, but next second, she drew back quickly.

"God, you're freezing. How can you be so nonchalant about that?"

"It just doesn't bother me," said Shinji.

"Well, you should warm up at least," said Asuka.

"I don't plan on going to the hot springs again until after dinner."

"That isn't what I meant," smirked Asuka, before she leaned in and kissed him softly. It was long and drawn out, contrary to what Shinji had expected. His own cold lips, and Asuka's warm lips, combined in such a way that Shinji could feel himself heating up in more ways than one. His body was quickly become warm. Asuka's body which was overflowing with warmth from her bath pressed against Shinji, thawing him out.

Asuka broke off the kiss though, to Shinji's annoyance.

"Why'd you stop?" he asked.

"I was getting cold," said Asuka.

"For a reason like that," mumbled Shinji in displeasure.

Asuka smiled at him, and then took his hand, guiding him upstairs.

"At the very least, you should change into something warmer before we continue."

Shinji probably would have started stripping right there if Asuka had allowed him.

They started dinner a little earlier than usual, but it was a rushed affair. After they had gone upstairs and spent sometime with each other, they had quickly grown hungry, and started preparing dinner. It wasn't anything special, just some things that Shinji threw together, but as was usual, Asuka was quite pleased with his cooking.

After clearing everything away, Shinji gathered up his swim trunks from earlier in the day. He was glad to be going into the hot springs again, hoping that he could relax easier than earlier.

"You ready yet Asuka?" asked Shinji.

Asuka was in the bedroom, going through a couple of her bags, but she seemed to be distracted over something.

"You go ahead first. I'll be down in a bit."

Shinji thought about asking her if she needed help, but perhaps it was something she'd rather not have help with.

He entered the hot springs after changing quickly, wading into the water and sinking down so that only his head was above the water. Letting out a low sigh, he closed his eyes and let himself float there for several minutes. He could understand why Asuka wanted to be by herself like this for a while; it was very relaxing.

Now that he had fully submerged himself, he didn't feel like raising his body very high above the water, owing to the cold air. Now that it was later in the day, the cold air was biting, and even Shinji would start shivering, especially if it was brushing against his bare chest. Like this though, he didn't have to worry.

Hearing the sliding door open behind him, Shinji tilted his head around to glance at Asuka. He was surprised to see that she had a towel wrapped around her body though, and her face was already red before she had even entered the hot springs.

"You aren't getting heat stroke again, are you?" asked Shinji.

Asuka didn't even look at him, but just walked around the edge of the water, and found a spot to submerge herself in, towel and all. Shinji thought this behavior odd, but maybe she just wanted to relax as well. Shinji could certainly agree with that mentality, and besides, there was still plenty of time to enjoy each others company later.

Feeling far more relaxed than he had in a long time, Shinji looked up again at the sky for the third time that day. It was nice to not be worrying about training with his AT-field, or about the dwindling supply of food in the grocery store. Right now, he could just relax without a care in the world.

"Sh-Shinji?"

Shinji turned his eyes away from the sky, and stared at Asuka. She was fully submerged in the water as well, but her face was still bright red.

"What is it? You aren't feel woozy again are you?"

"No...I was just thinking, that I actually want to be left alone again for a while." Her voice was unnaturally high, and Shinji couldn't help but frown at this strange reaction from her.

"Asuka, you sure you're alright?" asked Shinji. He stood up, and began moving towards her, ignoring the bite of the cold against his chest.

"I-I'm fine!" yelled Asuka. "So really, can you please go to a different hot springs."

Shinji ignored her words, moving directly in front of her, placing his palm against her forehead. Maybe the combination of the heat and cold was actually making her sick, but she didn't seem to have a fever, though her face was red again.

"Asuka...what's wrong?" asked Shinji, his face filled with puzzlement.

"Nothing!" she said, turning away from him and trying to move further away. Shinji didn't let her, and grabbed her arm, but was surprised when she applied more force, breaking away from his grasp.

"Asuka wha-"

And then Shinji saw that she was still holding the towel against herself, but that it had come unwound from her body, and that the arm he had pulled on was desperately clutching it against her chest.

"...Asuka...you're not..."

Asuka blushed even more furiously, and sank herself immediately into the water. Shinji could only gape wordlessly as she disappeared in front of him.

'Seriously,' thought Shinji, his mind growing hazy. 'What the hell were you thinking, entering the hot springs like that?'

Asuka emerged behind him, having swam around him, and was now against the far side of the hot spring, her back pressed against the wall, the towel still clutched in front of her. Shinji wasn't sure whether to turn around or not, as he was now overly conscious that besides that towel, Asuka didn't have a single article of clothing covering her body. Normally, this would surely arouse him, but common sense was so far gone from this situation, that Shinji couldn't help but question Asuka's sanity.

"You must think I'm losing my mind, doing something like this," mumbled Asuka across from him. Shinji slowly glanced over his shoulder, but saw that Asuka was staring down into the water, but at least she was talking to him.

"I'll admit...it is, unusual."

'Can I help it if I want become more intimate with you,' thought Asuka silently.

It was a spur of the moment decision when she had been trying to decide which bikini she wanted to wear before Shinji had left. Asuka enjoyed it when Shinji looked at her, where once she had thought it strange. She was the only person he would ever look at with eyes that were perverted. She was his to do with what she wanted, and the same could be said of him. Asuka wanted to continue with things though. They were both sixteen, and though it had only been a little more than a year, it felt like they had already spent an eternity together. Even though there were still many years left together, Asuka was anxious, and wanted to experience more together. She was embarrassed of course, but knew fully well what she was doing when she made the conscious decision. Being alone in the hotel room and making the decision was one thing, compared to actually being in the same hot spring as Shinji. Asuka had steeled herself for this moment, but she still felt herself wavering.

They stood opposite each other, neither looking at each other. Asuka was still staring at the water, and Shinji was back to staring at the sky above him. He didn't know what to say, and what did Asuka expect from him in the first place? Did she want to actually go all the way? Shinji didn't think so, but he couldn't entirely rule it out. Then what was her purpose? Did she just want to experience pleasure of a kind they hadn't experienced yet? Maybe, but Shinji wasn't sure about that either. Not even ten feet away from him, Asuka was baring herself entirely to him, attempting to entrust herself to him. Shinji wasn't honestly sure if this was a good idea. This was far closer to the 'act' then they had ever come, and uncomfortably so.

While Shinji continued staring up at the sky, he thought he saw something falling from the heavens. Slowly, a single snow flake fell from the sky and drifted down over the hot springs, falling between Shinji and Asuka. Both of their eyes followed the snow flake, their eyes locking with each other as it vanished between them, melting just as it touched the surface of the water. Around them, more snow began to fall, and Shinji redirected his gaze to the sky, the snow beginning to fall on his face. It was a light sprinkle, nothing like a blizzard, but it was perfect for the nervous Shinji and Asuka.

"Hey Shinji?" mumbled Asuka. She was looking at him now, and Shinji looked back at her.

"Hmm?"

"You...you're not put off by me...are you?"

"How could you ask that?" asked Shinji in amazement.

"Sorry...I just needed some reaffirmation for myself."

"Asuka, you know you're beautiful, and I know you're beautiful."

Asuka gave him a small smile. Making sure that the towel was wrapped firmly around her body again, Asuka slowly rose from the water, becoming more relaxed with her near nakedness. Shinji couldn't help it, and followed her figure hungrily, his eyes lingering on the distinct line of her breasts concealed by the towel. Finally, he felt himself becoming aroused.

"I don't suppose you could not stare so much," said Asuka, her embarrassment beginning to show.

"Sorry," said Shinji hurriedly.

"...It's alright...I don't suppose I can be angry at you really."

Shinji wasn't sure where he should look in all honesty. These worries were quickly replaced by new ones though. Asuka stood up, and slowly began wading through the water towards Shinji. Nearly stuttering, Shinji held his tongue as Asuka drew closer to him. If she kissed him right now, there was a strong chance that he'd ignore all morals and attack her. Asuka didn't do this, but instead slid into position next to him, her face still very red.

"Isn't this similar to what happened between us when we first discovered this place?" said Asuka.

"...Yeah, except our positions were reversed...and...things were all together different then as well," mumbled Shinji.

"I don't know if I agree with that," sighed Asuka.

Though they were directly next to each other, Shinji found himself unable to do anything. Normally, it was a simple matter of kissing each other when they were this close, but because of Asuka's attire, he was unable to move. What was going to happen between them?

"Hey Shinji...what do you want to do?"

That was a bad question to ask Shinji at this moment. He wanted to grab Asuka's shoulders, and hug her, pressing her body against his. He wanted to remove that towel concealing her breasts. He wanted to kiss her deeply, while running his hand along her back. He wanted all these things and more, but all these things led to an eventual reality that he wasn't ready for.

"At the very least kiss me," mumbled Asuka. "How do you think I feel, placing myself in this positi-"

Shinji couldn't contain himself anymore, and did just what Asuka had asked of him. Turning towards her, he didn't spare her a second glance before he pressed his lips against hers. Asuka was surprised by this sudden change, but welcomed it whole heartedly. They kissed each other, while leaning against one another, the snow continuing to fall around them.

Breaking off the kiss, they continued to gaze into each others eyes. Shinji was nearly at the edge of his limits, and looked into Asuka's eyes for confirmation. She was nervous, but also firm in her determination. She was ready for whatever came next.

Turning his entire body so that he was in front of her, Shinji placed a hand on Asuka's shoulder, gently caressing it. Asuka shivered at his touch, and looked back at him as though telling him to stop teasing her. Shinji removed the scrunchy from Asuka's hair which had held it in a ponytail, letting her hair fall freely into the water. He ran his hands along her back, ignoring the towel that was still wrapped there. Again, Asuka gave him a gaze which demanded him to stop teasing her, and Shinji obliged.

He kissed her at the nape of the neck, gently, his lips passing over her collarbone where she was sensitive. Asuka scrunched her face up as the waves of pleasure began assaulting her. Her entire body was beginning to tingle; she was becoming aroused.

Shinji continued kissing her along her neck, but instead of continued towards her lips, he started trailing his way along her shoulder. Asuka hadn't expected this route of attack, and was even more surprised when his lips started travel along her upper chest which was not concealed by the towel. Asuka's head tilted upwards as Shinji started kissing her on her neck again, trailing up to her chin, before finally finding her lips. His tongue entered her mouth, and Asuka felt her brain shut off entirely.

Wrapping her arms around him, Asuka pulled Shinji towards her, pressing her entire body against him. Her fingernails clawed there way along his back, and Shinji had to fight against the pain and pleasure. Asuka seemed to have lost all sense of reason though. Entrusting herself entirely to Shinji, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and ground her hips against his. Shinji hardly had enough time to support her back so she wouldn't fall over as she did this, and for a moment, thought about stopping. The stimulus of Asuka's body against his was overpowering, and Shinji's arousal was reaching a point where he felt like he'd exploding any second.

He didn't stop though, and continued kissing her, holding Asuka upright. The water rippled around them, lapping at their bodies while they continued holding each other. Asuka's breathing was starting to become more ragged, her face dyed red largely from the heat. Her eyes seemed unfocused as she let her desires overtake everything else. She didn't even seem to notice that the towel was starting to come undone behind her back.

Shinji did though, and for one wild moment, he thought about holding it in place. Instead, he ran his hands along Asuka's smooth back, now devoid of the towel. Her chest and everything below her waist to her thighs were still covered, since the towel was between them, but if they broke apart, it would certainly fall away from her. Shinji would be lying if he said he didn't want to see such a sight, but he wasn't sure whether he could handle it either. Asuka was still oblivious to this as she continued kissing Shinji, her lips glued to his.

Shinji had to pause for a moment though. The combination of the heat from the hot springs and Asuka's body was starting to make him light headed, and he was aware that he was starting to become dizzy. He tried communicated this to Asuka, but her brain was still firmly shut off.

'Damn it,' thought Shinji. 'I really think I'm about to pass out.'

As he realized this, he lost his balance, and started falling backwards, taking Asuka with him. When her center of gravity suddenly shifted, only then did Asuka realize what was happening.

"Shinji what are you-WAH-"

Asuka had thought that what he was doing was intentional, but she didn't get a chance to confirm or deny this, as both of them went splashing into the water. Asuka's eyes had initially closed when they had submerged, but now she opened them under water. Shinji was floating slightly under her, her arms still wrapped around his back somehow. His eyes were closed, but they were twitching slightly, and Asuka quickly determined that something was wrong. Keeping her arms wrapped around him, she brought them both to the surface, breaking into the open air while the snow fell around them.

"Shinji!? Answer me!" Asuka shouted at him.

"...Could you not shout?" Shinji replied to her in a low voice, his eyes still closed.

"What happened?" asked Asuka, hardly lowering her voice.

Shinji didn't reply. He was resting now, trying to calm himself. He had a splitting headache right now, and still felt lightheaded. Course, Asuka was still holding onto him, so keeping calm was something he had difficulty doing right now.

"You didn't have a vision, did you?"

"No, I didn't," mumbled Shinji. "Just lightheaded is all. Doing this in a hot springs may not be the best idea."

Asuka didn't say anything to that. In truth, she could hardly remember much after the first kiss, since her body just took over everything afterwards.

"Do you want to call it quits then?" asked Asuka.

"Yeah, that might be for the best," said Shinji as he opened his eyes.

Shinji's face immediately froze as he looked at Asuka who was still holding onto him. His face turned pasty white, whereas it had been beat red before, and Asuka thought that he might be having a sudden heart attack.

"Shinji!?" she yelled as she leaned in closer to him. Shinji's face turned multiple shades of color this time, and the thing between his legs threatened to burst out of his swimming trunks.

"...Asuka..." mumbled Shinji, his eyes still locked on her.

"Wha-"

And then she realized as a gust of wind came by, making her shiver uncontrollably. Looking down at herself, she noticed she was fully naked. The towel had come off while they had fallen in the water together.

Under normal circumstances, Asuka would have probably screamed, and slapped Shinji, knocking him unconscious. She just stood there however, staring down at her bare chest, aware that Shinji's gaze was still penetrating her. All words escaped her, and all thoughts were driven from her mind. She didn't know how she was supposed to respond right now. But Shinji did this for her.

"...Beautiful..."

Asuka felt like her heart was pierced at Shinji's words, and her brain was flipped back on. She dove into the water with such a large splash that Shinji had to shield his eyes. Nonetheless, he couldn't get the image of Asuka's breasts with her pink nipples out of his mind.

Asuka remained underwater for almost a full minute, and seemed to be collecting herself. When she finally remerged, she had the towel wrapped around her again. She had retrieved it while underwater, and wrapped herself. Shinji was still standing in the same position, and had a glazed look over his eyes. Asuka could only assume what he was thinking about, and momentarily did think about hitting him. But it was her fault afterall for being so careless.

"...Shinji?"

"What?" he replied, startled at her voice.

"I'd ask you to forget what you just saw, but I don't suppose that would be possible."

Shinji couldn't tell whether she was angry or not. Her face seemed passive, but there was an underlying emotion that he could place.

"...They're not weird, are they...my breasts?" asked Asuka in such a small voice that Shinji could hardly hear her, even though the only sound was the sound of their own breathing.

Many thoughts erupted within Shinji's mind, all more erotic than the next, but he eventually settled with a straight-

"No, they're not."

Shinji wasn't sure whether he imagined it or not, but he thought he saw a faint smile appear on her lips. He was sure he imagined it though.

Slowly Asuka, started approaching him, and Shinji closed his eyes, dreading the possibility of a slap, but instead she passed by him.

"I think that's enough excitement for one day," said Asuka as she got out of the hot springs.

Shinji turned around, just in time to see her disappearing into the changing room, a frown apparent on his face. He couldn't tell what Asuka was thinking, but she probably knew what he was still thinking. He didn't think that image would leave his mind for a long while.

* * *

><p>Shinji gave Asuka plenty of time to finish changing, so that when he got back into the hotel room, she was already in a fresh pair of clothes, and just finishing drying her hair. He quickly changed into a pair of sweats and a long sleeve shirt. There was a certain level of awkwardness between them right now, but they couldn't really afford that luxury with how cold the room was.<p>

Wordlessly, Asuka got into the bed, and buried herself in the blankets that they had brought from home. They were piled so high that Shinji couldn't even see Asuka's head from where he was sitting in the other room. He was surprised that she could want that much warmth after they had just left the hot springs, but then again, she couldn't handle the cold as well as himself.

Shinji couldn't very well remain in the living room the entire time though. Standing up, he walked into the bedroom, and closed the door behind him. He paused in front of the bed though, wondering why he was feeling so nervous. It had only been an accident, and it wasn't as though it was that strange. Surely it would have happened eventually, but for him to see Asuka naked in a such a way. Maybe she was feeling more embarrassed then he initially thought.

"God, if you're gonna be standing there the entire night, this is only going to get more awkward, so hurry up and get in bed."

Asuka said this while buried under the covers, her voice muffled but still understandable. She seemed annoyed that Shinji was taking it like this, even though it was her body that had been seen. If it had been the other way around, she wondered if she would be reacting like this. She blushed briefly at that, remembering the feel of something against her body from earlier, but she pushed that thought away quickly.

Shinji didn't reply to her, but did walk around the edge of the bed, and get in on his side. He was careful not to touch Asuka as he did this, but the image still wasn't leaving his mind.

They lay there for several minutes in silence, until Asuka finally broke in with.

"You're not thinking about it, are you?"

She only got silence from Shinji, which ended with her striking him on the shoulder.

"Ouch!"

"Well, say something," mumbled Asuka.

"...I meant what I said earlier," was all Shinji replied with.

Asuka felt her entire body heat up at his words. She was confident in her own looks, but hearing Shinji comment on it was somehow different. She had somewhat been prepared for it when she had entered the hot springs, but she had imagined it happening in a different way. Even so, the look on Shinji's face was wonderful in a certain way.

"...Idiot," Asuka managed to say after several seconds of silence.

Even though she said this, she moved closer to Shinji. She felt him flinch when her body, and in particular her breasts, touched his own body, but this passed quickly.

"Asuka, this isn't helping."

"I know," she mumbled, leaning towards his face and pressing her lips against his. Shinji was surprised by this sudden kiss, but was glad that the awkwardness between them had vanished.

Things may have continued between them, but both were feeling tired, and with the added warmth of all the blankets, the cold outside was quickly disappearing. Shinji hoped that the snow wouldn't last very long though, and was somewhat worried about the drive tomorrow, but that was afterall tomorrow. Ignoring these worries about what may happen, he quickly fell asleep.

Snuggling up to him, Asuka closed her eyes. Every extra step was another shift in their relationship, but Asuka still wanted more. Her imagination began to rove, as unbidden images of her and Shinji rose up, and her body started to tighten up. She wanted that, but she could settle for what they had right now. Eventually, she would be happy to give her all to him.

'Afterall, towards Shinji, I-'

Asuka stopped herself there. She didn't feel this was the time to be thinking about that.

Trying to ignore these feelings, and the thoughts that were circling in her mind, she slowly fell asleep, where her thoughts were filled with Shinji. But as to what the contents of the dreams were, Asuka would rather die than speak them out loud, especially to Shinji.

* * *

><p><strong>Fairly certain that I toed the line alright in this chapter, and didn't go too far into explicit territory. I did consider making it a bit more erotic, but decided against that. That will be for the next chapters, so those will likely have AN warnings before strong mature content.**

**Speaking of the next chapters, I've decided to move up the time frame of the second half, so with that said, we'll have three more chapters until that point. Enjoy**


	27. Lust

**So, incredibly early update here, and I'll talk about why at the end, among other things. This chapter is much stronger M than last one (chapter title says it all), and does have two A/N for content which some people may not want to read. As usual look for the bold lettering for the alert.**

* * *

><p>The months had passed since winter, and it was now close to summer once again. Gone were the cold days spent bundled up next to each other, replaced with the natural warmth of a sunny afternoon. As was usual with the passing of the months, Shinji and Asuka continued to mature and grow, both in body, and in mind. It was now more than a year since they had settled down in their house, and you could almost consider them a young married couple for how they acted. Their feelings for each other continued to grow along with their bodies, but they relatively maintained the same distance with each other. But things had changed.<p>

As was usual, Shinji was the first to awake in the morning. A bead of sunlight pierced through a gap in the blinds of their window, and Shinji's eyes fluttered open slowly. His arm was outstretched in front of him, and there was a certain weight pressing down on it. Asuka was using his arm as a pillow as she continued to sleep, her mouth slightly agape while she breathed softly, still deep within her dreams. Shinji watched her cute face for several seconds, before he carefully removed his arm from under her. She didn't wake up, which he was thankful for, but then again, he wasn't very surprised at this either.

Leaving the bed, he put on a t-shirt and pants and looked over at Asuka once again. She had tossed in her sleep in the short time he had left the bed, and he could see her cleavage thanks to the loose fitting shirt she was wearing. Not for the first time, nor the last, did he imagine exploring that valley that was hidden to him. Once or twice since the incident at the hot springs he had come close, but there was always a cut off point.

Sighing lightly, he began to leave the room, but paused once again as his eyes noticed a stain on the white carpet of their bedroom. Shaking his head, he left the bedroom to prepare breakfast.

During the winter months when they had been cooped up in the house for long periods at a time, Asuka had found an easy way to pass the time on occasion. Her solution, was alcohol of course. It had been several months now since they had depleted all the canned goods in the grocery store, but the alcoholic beverages hadn't been touched yet, which Asuka had quickly latched onto. There had been many times during the winter months when she had flat out passed out, and Shinji had to carry her upstairs. She didn't seem to care whether the alcohol was lukewarm or not, but she had quickly grown accustomed to sake, which as an added bonus, was normally drunken warm.

This wasn't to say that Shinji didn't occasionally drink as well. He wasn't nearly as fond of sake as Asuka was though, and tended to go for liquor, but was always careful to never get so drunk he lost control of himself. Asuka could get rather ferocious whenever she got drunk, and Shinji had lost track of how many times he had kissed her while the taste of alcohol was on her breath. She knew her limit, but she always tried to get a reaction out of Shinji. He was always adamant though, that whatever she tried, he wouldn't go along with since her actions weren't her own. Shinji wasn't sure how many of these incidents Asuka actually remembered the next morning when she woke up, but she never mentioned it, and neither did Shinji. Once, she had stripped down to nothing but her underwear, and then tried to force Shinji to do the same, but he had put his foot down at that, and gotten angry at her. The stain on the carpet of their bedroom was a result of that night, after Asuka had thrown up her dinner.

Shinji wasn't sure whether Asuka did all this because she was bored, or if she just wanted him to try something. Her defenses were entirely down whenever these things happened, but Shinji could never bring himself to touch her. It would be far too wrong to take advantage of her in such a state.

Shinji took his time preparing breakfast, since he knew it would be a while before Asuka made her way downstairs. She had gotten rather drunk last night, and had collapsed on the bed, immediately falling into a dreamless, drunken sleep. She didn't try anything towards Shinji, but even so, he had remained downstairs for several hours even after she had fallen asleep. He would be lying if he wasn't worried sometimes about Asuka's drinking problem, but he hoped that it was simply a phase she was going through. She was old enough to make her own decisions, and even if Shinji did occasionally voice his opinion, she would usually brush him off.

Letting out a low sigh, Shinji let their small grill continued spouting flames, not quite feeling hungry enough to make his own portion of food. He leaned back in the wicker chair on the back patio, looking across the lawn.

He couldn't express himself as feeling angry towards Asuka, but he was significantly annoyed with her sometimes when she got so drunk she lost control of herself. His feelings for her weren't going to change because of that, but still, he wished that they could go further. The image of her naked body was still firmly ingrained within his mind, and he had used it many times when the urge hit him, but just imagining was no longer satisfying. He wanted that sight again, with physical contact between them. Asuka had already bared herself before Shinji, so wasn't it his turn now?

As wild images began assaulting his mind, he became aware that he was quickly growing hard. He tried banishing these thoughts away quickly, but try as he might, his thoughts continued drifting back to Asuka, and all the things he wanted to experience with her.

'Damn it,' thought Shinji as the pressure in his pants started growing tighter. He still felt disgusted with himself whenever this happened, and unfortunately, it was happening far more often than he was comfortable with. Maybe it was because of Asuka's drunken advances, but he was having to release his pent up tension far more often than he used to. Right now though...was he really going to do that while sitting out here on the patio?

Before Shinji was about to make a possible life altering decision, the sliding door opened, and Asuka stepped outside. In many ways, this did nothing to improve Shinji's situation, but at least he hadn't been in the middle of unbuttoning his pants. Asuka it seemed was still half asleep though, so she didn't notice anything unusual about Shinji's expression.

Sinking down into the chair beside him, she tilted her head back and placed both her hands over her face. Shinji assumed that she had a headache, but he wasn't about to console her because of her decision.

"Isn't breakfast done yet?" mumbled Asuka.

"I honestly didn't think you'd be up this early, so I took my time preparing it."

Asuka simply groaned. If she felt this bad, she probably should have just continued sleeping Shinji thought. Well, now that she was up at least, he supposed he may as well finish.

Shinji busied himself with the grill, while simultaneously preparing coffee, more for Asuka than himself. It was instant stuff, but better than nothing. Asuka stirred slightly as he passed her a mug, and slowly sipped the coffee while continuing to groan about her headache. Shinji did his best to ignore her mumblings while he poured some batter into a pan, making pancakes.

After about twenty minutes, he passed her a plate with two fluffy pancakes, to which she immediately started digging into. With it fresh off the grill, it seared the inside of her mouth, but it helped to further wake her up at least. By the time that Shinji was starting on his own, she had woken up considerably, but her headache was still bothering her.

Asuka stood up, and walked inside the house, leaving Shinji to himself out on the patio. After he finished, he cleaned the dishes in the sink, noticing that Asuka had laid down on the couch, her eyes closed as she tried to ignore the pain. He sighed lightly, wondering how much more he could take of this.

Without having anything further to do, he walked into the living room, sitting down on their leather chair, and then looked over at Asuka. Shinji was reaching a point where he had started considering to hide the alcohol from her if this continued, which was something that he really didn't want to do. Asuka wasn't a child that you'd hide stuff from when she threw a temper tantrum.

"Shinji?" Asuka spoke to him quietly.

"...Yeah?" asked Shinji while he continued looking at her. Asuka turned towards him slightly, outstretching her hand towards him. Shinji hesitated briefly, before placing his hand in hers. Asuka gently tugged on his arm, guiding him off the chair and towards the couch. She sat up briefly so that Shinji could sit beside her, and then slowly collapsed on top of him, pressing her body against him. Shinji didn't even feel any desires stirring within him as she did this, and just calmly accepted her.

"...Sorry," mumbled Asuka.

Shinji had heard this multiple times before now, and the word had quickly worm off. If Asuka was showing remorse over her actions, then she going about it the wrong way.

Shinji didn't say anything to her, but just calmly rested his hand against her back, softly stroking her hair. Asuka let out a calm breath while he did this, pressing her face into his chest and rubbing her face against it. He couldn't refuse her, even if he wanted to. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but even so, he didn't want this to continue.

Asuka was starting to feel better though, thanks to Shinji's gentle caresses. Her headache was slowly starting to wear off, and she moved her face closer to Shinji's. She was unsure whether he'd accept her for how she was right now, but as she tenderly placed her lips against his, testing the waters, Shinji kissed her back as well. Afterall, Shinji couldn't refuse her.

For a moment, Asuka's headache disappeared while they kissed. She felt tired, though exhausted might have been a better description. She knew that what she had been doing was wrong, but she felt there was no better way to calm herself. Initially, drinking had been just a simple way to pass the time, but it had grown into something else. With every passing day, Asuka was aware of the pain she felt whenever she was held, or kissed by Shinji. This pain was something that had started in her heart, and quickly spread to her entire body. Drinking had quickly become a means to forget about this pain. The truth was that she desperately wanted Shinji, but because of her own limitations and decisions, was unable to break through to this point. When she was drunk, she was free, able to commit to things which she normally couldn't commit to, even if she knew this was wrong. She was no longer satisfied with pleasuring herself, and doing it while drunk only made it worse.

Asuka broke off the kiss from Shinji, and sat upright on his waist. Just the fact that she didn't feel anything from Shinji's waist made it abundantly clear that he didn't feel anything from her right now, even if they had just kissed.

"Something wrong?" asked Shinji.

"No, it's nothing," replied Asuka. Moments later, she got off the couch, and slowly made her way back upstairs.

Shinji watched her leave, only imagining what was going through her mind. Even with the breakfast they had just had, he could very faintly taste the staleness of alcohol on her breath. Needless to say, he didn't enjoy this. Shinji felt like they were slowly growing further apart because of this, and it seemed that Asuka felt so as well.

Scratching the back of his head, Shinji left the couch and then walked outside onto the back patio. He wasn't sure what to do, but he didn't think the answer existed inside a bottle.

* * *

><p>Upstairs, Asuka threw herself down on the bed, and rolled over onto her back. Even though she had passed out drunk last night, she hardly felt like she had gotten any sleep. When she wasn't drunk, she tossed and turned, her thoughts alive with Shinji, aware that he was sleeping beside her. She wasn't able to concentrate during the day, and her appetite had been plummeting recently. She felt sick, like their was a parasite infesting her body and feeding off of her.<p>

Despite all this, the brief kiss she had shared with Shinji was enough to arouse her. It didn't take much for her to become excited anymore, and many times she had woken up in the middle of the night, aware of a slight moistness seeping between her legs. It was times like those when she stole downstairs in the middle of the night to relieve her tension, her face buried into the pillows on the couch as her voice screamed into the soft fabric. She had no idea whether Shinji knew about these sleepless night, but she sincerely hoped not.

She couldn't take this much longer, and it was just a matter of time before she lost control. She wondered how Shinji could put up with her, in many senses. She wasn't stupid, and knew he wanted her as well, but he was holding back. It wasn't possible that he was still worried about his unusual self, since he had overcome that long ago. So how was he able to hold back against her? Asuka knew he looked at her with such desires, but she no longer wanted him to just look at her, his thoughts concealed.

None of these thoughts were helping Asuka to relieve these feelings though. Even if it was no longer enough, she couldn't ignore her body which was starting to tingle.

She was confident in herself. She had always been considered beautiful, but it was possible that somebody could easily mistake her for a woman in their early twenties, instead of a teenage, sixteen year old girl. In the nearly two years since she had woken up in Tokyo-3, Asuka's body had certainly changed to that of a woman. Her hips were curved perfectly, her legs slender, her breasts supple and full, while her butt voluptuous. Asuka was attractive, simple enough.

When Asuka had first met Shinji, she had thought nothing of him. He was just a stupid boy, timid, indecisive, a bore, and somebody who she could never imagine spending the rest of her life with. As she grew to know him though, she realized that he could be shy, tender, caring, and stubborn. She had quickly become used to his presence always beside her, and counted him as a friend, and then started to show affection towards him. Shinji was now quickly become a young man in his own right. His natural muscles had started developing, his voice had grown deeper, his face, though she had initially thought nothing of it, had steadily seemed to grow more pleasing in her eyes, and his shaggy hair she frequently found herself twirling her fingers around. And now, she wanted nothing more than to have him pleasure her.

**(A/N: Following paragraphs depict scenes of masturbation. If you don't want to read this, skip to the next bold faced lettering.) **

Asuka's body gave a sudden jolt, while she continued thinking about Shinji. She wanted him to kiss her tenderly, his hands running down the length of her back. She wanted his eyes to rove along her naked body, his hands gliding there way along her navel, until they finally found there way to her breasts. She wanted him to see all her tender spots, to feel the wetness between her legs.

As she thought this, Asuka's hand began gravitating towards the spot between her legs. She was wearing shorts, but even then, she could feel the wetness spreading through the cotton. Her hands slipped down her shorts, and she pressed a finger against that spot, her finger sinking into the soft flesh covered by her underwear which was steadily growing slicker. Her thoughts of Shinji continued while she did this, only imagining what it would feel like if he was doing this.

While her one hand focused on the spot between her legs, the other found its way to her breasts, slipping under her shirt and cupping her breast. The shirt was pulled up, revealing the white bra which covered them, but Asuka's hand slipped into the bra. Her breathing was growing ragged now, and she winced as her finger brushed against her erect nipple. Again, her thoughts of Shinji coincided as she pleasured herself.

Becoming lost in her own pleasure, she bit her tongue, holding back the cry of ecstasy. She didn't care about her appearance, her mind only focusing on relieving this feeling. Her underwear was thoroughly soaked, but she didn't care. Her hand which had been focusing on her tender spot, plunged into her underwear, where she slowly inserted her finger. Her other hand continued focusing on her breast, rolling around her pink nipple with the occasional pinch.

All too suddenly, Asuka felt her body shudder, and she turned her face, forcing it into the pillow as she reached her climax. Her scream was muffled by the pillow, but it still echoed around the room. She was breathing raggedly, but for the moment lay still, her finger still touching her spot while her legs were tucked together.

Slowly, she rolled over onto her back, removing her hand from her underwear and her breast. Her shorts were halfway down her thighs, and her shirt was still hiked up far enough to see her one bare breast. Asuka continued panting while she lay there, but she knew she couldn't stay like this.

**(A/N: Ends here)**

Leaving the bed, she grabbed a change of clothes and entered the bathroom, stripping everything off. Wiping herself down, she examined herself in the mirror, suddenly feeling lonely. This was only a temporary thing, which she knew. There was only so far the imagination could go before it began to long for the real thing.

Returning to the bed, Asuka collapsed once more on it, glad that there hadn't been any stain resulting from her climax. It wasn't enough, and would probably never be enough. Unwillingly, Asuka's thoughts drifted to Shinji again, but the only thing she thought was-

'I wonder how different it would feel to have Shinji's fingers touch me?'

* * *

><p>The day passed by slowly, and Shinji kept to himself downstairs. He tried to keep his mind occupied on anything other than Asuka, but found this difficult. He had been reading a book, but had kept rereading the same paragraph and eventually started skimming through it, at this point giving up, and just placed it beside him on the couch.<p>

He still hadn't come to a satisfactory decision, debating on what to do. Asuka had continued pushing him further and further to his limits with her drunken advances, and each time Shinji had pushed her away. He wanted to accept her, but couldn't when she acted that way. Whatever would happen between them, Shinji didn't want to be the only one to remember it. The first time had to be something special, even if it would be unbelievably awkward. There was no other thought in Shinji's mind, but this. The problem was how Asuka was behaving.

'And speaking of such,' thought Shinji as he heard the sound of soft feet walking down the stairs.

Shinji glanced over towards the hallway just as Asuka entered. She had changed her clothes from earlier, but was still dressed loosely in shorts and a t-shirt. Shinji was wondering what she had been doing upstairs for these past hours, but he wasn't going to ask. Asuka sat down on the couch beside him though, far closer than he would have expected considering the distance between them earlier.

"Asuka?" asked Shinji.

Asuka didn't immediately look at him, her gaze fixed in front of her. Slowly though, she turned to face him, and Shinji noticed that her moments seemed a little strange. Before he was able to say anything else though, Asuka darted across the couch, and pushed him down, wrapping her arms around him. This was certainly a change from earlier, and Shinji wasn't sure what to make of it, but that was when Asuka kissed him, and he understood what was happening.

'She's been drinking,' thought Shinji as he tasted the alcohol on her breath as her tongue entered his mouth. Shinji didn't respond to this desperate display of affection, only wondering how she could be drinking when it was hardly past noon at this point. Besides, how the hell could she be drunk when she never even came downstairs? Did she have a bottle stashed upstairs somewhere?

Shinji didn't get any chance to ask her though, as Asuka continued her feverish kissing of him. Shinji didn't think she was truly drunk, since she seemed conscious enough, unlike how she sometimes was, but this was still not something he wanted.

Just as he was about to push her off him though, Asuka leaned back and looked down at Shinji. She was smiling, but her eyes seemed sad.

"How come you aren't doing anything?"

Shinji didn't reply, and he didn't think Asuka wanted the answer truthfully. It would only hurt her. But as Asuka leaned in to kiss him again, Shinji turned his head to the side, looking away from her. The smile dropped from Asuka's face after he did this.

"Shinji...kiss me."

"...No."

"...Please..."

Shinji returned his eyes to her, and spoke softly, "Asuka, could you get off me?"

"...I won't."

"Asuka, I don't want this. Not now."

"...Why?"

It took all of Shinji's willpower to not angrily retort to her question, but he wasn't sure how to even react to her next question.

"It's because I've been drinking, isn't it?"

Shinji continued looking at her sad expression. He didn't know what he could do for her if she insisted on behaving like this. Slowly, he felt his heart begin to harden slightly.

"...It's true, isn't it?" said Asuka her voice steadily growing in volume.

Eventually, Shinji only muttered one word.

"...Yes."

At that, Asuka lost control of herself.

"Why the fuck do you think I've been doing this!?" she shouted. "Don't you understand how I feel, what I want!?"

Shinji just let her words assault him. Whatever her reason, he wasn't going to accept it. But next, Asuka did something completely unexpected. Forcibly grabbing Shinji's hand, she placed it at the center of her chest, directly between her breasts. Shinji was taken aback by her action, and tried ignoring his hand brushing against her breasts. This was difficult, but somehow, Shinji managed to ignore the feeling.

"Don't you get it!?" she yelled at him. "Why won't you just do something!?"

"I'm not going to do anything to you while you're drunk Asuka," said Shinji, the anger in his voice growing. "Or have you considered how I feel?"

Asuka blinked once. Her mind was hazy, and she had drunken far more alcohol than she probably should have, but what's done is done.

"Asuka, how do you think I feel whenever you're drunk, and I have to carry you upstairs? How do you think I feel when you're so drunk you don't even register that we are kissing? Do you honestly think I'd be happing to have you while you're drunk? Or do you want both of us to be so drunk we can't remember anything, and that in our minds, nothing ever happened, because we can't fucking remember anything!? I will not touch you like this Asuka!"

Wrenching his arm free from her grasp, Shinji pushed her off him, and then stood up, leaving Asuka sprawled on the couch. Throwing open the sliding glass door, he opened it with such force that it bounced backwards. Asuka felt dizzy from the sudden shift in her position, but she quickly stood up. She instinctively knew she had done something she shouldn't have. She tried shouting for Shinji, but he was already walking across the yard and down towards the tree line behind their house. She was even halfway towards putting on her shoes, and running out towards him, but that was when she saw something rather unexpected erupting into the sky.

A flash of orange streaked across the sky, signifying that Shinji had used his AT-field in anger, something which he hadn't done in a long time. Asuka stood frozen as she saw this, unable to move. She hadn't seen his AT-field in a long time, which just showed how angry Shinji was at the moment. But even though she was still frozen, and unable to move, she continued yelling after him.

"Shinji! Please! I'm sorry! I need you! I want you! I...I...I..."

For all Asuka's shouting and pleading, she never got a response, even though her voice echoed around the house, and surely reached the tree line which Shinji disappeared into.

* * *

><p>Shinji hadn't felt this in a long time, and had assumed that it had passed. Back in Tokyo-2, he had been barely able to control it, but he had changed since then, at least he thought he had.<p>

Stamping through the path that led to the field behind their house, Shinji bitterly started striking objects out of the way within his field of view, using his AT-field. He had to calm down, but the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got. He didn't care what Asuka's reasons were, or how many times she said she was sorry. He wouldn't cross that boundary, especially if she was drunk.

He needed to calm himself, but using his AT-field was doing the opposite of this. Making a conscious decision to suppress that part of himself, something he hadn't needed to do in a long while, he paused in the middle of the path, and took a deep breath. Shutting out everything else, he focused on the sounds around him, tuning his mind to only focus on the nature around him. Slowly, he began to calm himself. Even so, he was in mood to return to the house.

With his anger calmed, he continued walking on the path ahead of him, until he broke through the tree line, and into the open field. The grass was kept low, thanks to his AT-field, and Shinji sprawled out on the grass, stretching himself out as he looked up at the sky.

He wasn't wrong, this much he believed, but he still felt a slight pang in his heart when he thought about it. More than a full year had passed since he had first kissed Asuka, fully awakening his desires towards her. He loved her, and wanted to experience every pleasurable thing with her, but not while she was drunk. But was this just him acting afraid? Asuka wasn't simply hinting at it anymore, but was practically throwing herself at him, wanting him to embrace her fully. Was Shinji's will so weak that he couldn't just accept her, even if she was drunk? Was he naive in thinking that the first time should be special? How would somebody else react in this situation?

Never before did Shinji realize how much life experience he lacked, and for the first time in his life, wished that he had an adult to communicate these thoughts to. Such a thing wasn't going to happen, so he only had his own thoughts, and feelings on the subject. Ultimately, it came down to what Shinji wanted, disregarding Asuka for the moment. Both of them had to be in mutual agreement on the subject, otherwise it was pointless. As he was currently though, he couldn't agree to it, and he didn't think this would change. Maybe he was being stubborn, or maybe he just didn't want to hurt Asuka by accident.

Shinji continued laying there, his mind wavering from one subject to the next, though always returning to Asuka. Time passed slowly for him, but his mind continued working in the background. He didn't know how long he continued laying there, his eyes glazed over while he stared at the sky, but he started realizing that he was growing hungry. Lunch had already come and gone, and it had been several hours since breakfast. He still didn't want to go back up to the house, but he was starting to grow restless just staying here. Even though it probably wasn't something he should do right now, he did briefly think about practicing with his AT-field, even though he had hit a brick wall recently.

Whether this was the wrong, or correct decision, Shinji never got the chance to make it. He distinctly heard the snapping of a twig behind him, and his body spun around, thinking that a wild animal might have stumbled across him. To his surprise, he saw a figure walking towards him, their hair blowing in the wind as a breeze passed by them.

"...Asuka?" Shinji wondered, not expecting her here in the slightest, especially after everything that had happened. He honestly wasn't sure whether he could talk with her right now, as their argument came back to him, and he found himself frowning slightly.

Asuka didn't reply to him though, and continued walking towards him. She wasn't looking at him, her eyes staring across the field, while her hands were clasped behind her back. She was wearing vivid navy jeans, and sporting a white t-shirt with an emblem splash across the front.

Asuka walked by him, without giving him a single glance, and stood several paces away from where Shinji was still sitting. Shinji stared at her back, wondering what she was doing. At least she didn't seem to have continued drinking.

"You know, sometimes I forget how much you care about me," said Asuka suddenly.

Shinji didn't reply, but continued watching her. Asuka had something on her mind, which seemed clear by her demeanor. Shinji wasn't sure whether he wanted to listen to her right now however, no matter what she had to say.

"I don't blame you for earlier. I recognize that it was wrong how I acted in that situation, but at the same time, I felt like I had hit a brick wall, and couldn't overcome up."

Shinji frowned at her, not understanding what she was talking about. He understood that alcohol was used in an attempt to overcome whatever road block she had run into, but even so, he couldn't agree with this. If she had just talked to him instead, then maybe things would have been different.

"Hey Shinji?" said Asuka as she turned her head to look at him. "Have you ever wanted something so desperately, that you would do anything to obtain it, even if it could possibly hurt yourself, or the person beside you?"

Shinji had never owned many worldly possessions due to his constant moving, so he had never cared for physical objects very much. But this of course didn't just refer to worldly objects either.

"No, I don't think so. Besides, if it could hurt somebody I truly care about, then I don't think it would be worth it."

"Maybe thats where we're different then," said Asuka with a sad smile, glad that Shinji had at least responded to her. "I don't know if it's because of my upbringing, or my own desperation, but I've never felt such a strong desire before. I only cared about myself, and in doing so made a mistake. I regret it, but even now, that desire is still strong, if not stronger."

Shinji realized that they were dancing around the larger question, even though both knew what it was. It was unspoken between them, but Asuka had nearly spoken the truth earlier when she had demanded him to kiss her. The thin line between them had shrunken so far that the thought was always on their mind, but this was the closest they had come to speaking freely about it.

"I know I screwed up earlier, but that doesn't mean I wont continue chasing after what I want."

"...Does that mean you'll continue drinking?" asked Shinji after a pause.

"...I don't want to, and I don't enjoy it, but it also helped to ignore everything for a while."

"Why would you need to do that though, that's what I don't understand?" asked Shinji suddenly, his voice slightly growing in volume. "Why wouldn't you just try talking to me about it? Back when I first starting realizing the changes I was going through, you were always there beside me, reassuring me that everything was fine, and that I was me. Asuka, if you hadn't helped me through those weeks, I think things would be vastly different right now. So why didn't you just try talking to-"

"Don't you understand how difficult and embarrassing that is!?" shouted Asuka suddenly. "And why do I have to say anything. You're a guy, so show some backbone for once damn it!"

Shinji flinched slightly at her words. It wasn't like he was deliberately not saying anything, but he felt that it was too soon to begin with, so he had ignored it for now, even if his body didn't want to agree to this. But Asuka had been battling with her mind for a while now, while Shinji was coasting along on the given path.

"Asuka...I...well-"

"And don't tell me it hasn't crossed your mind. I'm not stupid."

Shinji bit back a certain retort that referred to Asuka's late night journey's downstairs, but that would do the opposite of improving the situation.

"So...what do you-" started Shinji slowly, before being cut off by Asuka.

"Like I said, I won't stopping chasing after what I want."

Asuka was dead set in her determination, something which Shinji still lacked. Scratching the back of his head, he nervously looked away from Asuka, trying to focus his mind elsewhere. Well, in the meantime though, Shinji felt that it might be best to continue this back at the house. He still wasn't sure, and neither had he said everything on the subject, especially with regards to Asuka's drinking.

"Asuka, do you mind if we go back to the house and continue this? I didn't eat lunch, so I've been feeling hungry this whole time."

"...I don't," mumbled Asuka. She had said what she wanted more or less, so the only thing she could do now was wait for Shinji. She tried suppressing her desires, but she didn't think she could lie any further. She had pushed those thoughts away for so long, that she was ready to finally face them.

They walked back to the house slowly, Shinji walking in front, and Asuka behind him. Asuka had her eyes glued to his back, watching his every movement. Her imagination began to run wild and to her embarrassment, she felt her arousal growing. Her body starting tightening up as her mind continued created images, and her heart started beating wildly. Just by being this close to Shinji was making her feeling like this, and when he turned around to look at her, Asuka couldn't hide the blush that spread across her face.

"You okay Asuka?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," said Asuka in what she hoped was a stable voice. She didn't know how much more she could take of this.

Shinji gave her a strange look, but shrugged off her strange reaction. He was feeling slightly strange himself, and things probably would have been different if Asuka was in front of him.

By the time they reached their house, Asuka was freely panting from her exhaustion. She had afterall walked all the way down to the field, and then walked back after a short time later. While Asuka collapsed on the couch, Shinji made himself something quick to eat. He asked whether she wanted anything, but she just waved her hand from where she was laying.

When he was finished cooking, Shinji sat in the chair beside the couch, to which Asuka was glad for. If Shinji sat beside her just now, she would have knocked his plate out of his hands and kissed him. She was still aroused, and this didn't seem to be changing anytime soon. It wasn't just her exhaustion that was making her sweat, but her desire to have Shinji kiss her, among other things. She was really reaching her limit.

Finishing his makeshift meal, Shinji dumped his plate in the sink, and let out a low sigh. He was still nervous about what to do with Asuka. It wasn't like he didn't want that, but he felt it was happening all too quickly. Maybe if things progressed a little more then...but he was aware of how much he wanted it, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing afterall.

Turning around to speak to her, Shinji came face to face with Asuka who had sneaked away from the couch and stood directly behind him. Her face was flushed red, and she was biting her lips slightly, but Shinji saw a glimmer in her eyes which he hadn't seen in a while.

"Sorry if I'm going about this the wrong way, but I really don't care anymore."

Without any further words, Asuka brought her face parallel with Shinji's, and pressed her lips against his. Though she said she didn't care anymore, Shinji could still feel the nervousness and tension within her kiss. It was something he hadn't felt from her in a while, and Shinji assumed it must be because she wasn't sure whether he'd respond in turn. It had been a long time since Shinji had felt Asuka's lips without the taste of alcohol on her breath, so he let himself fall into the familiar motions.

Cupping Asuka's face, he kissed her back slowly, letting his feelings for her transmit through the kiss. He had truly missed this, and whatever worries he was having earlier, were quickly melting away. This just felt somehow right to him. He felt himself smiling slightly while they kissed, and quickly tried to correct this, but Asuka didn't seem to mind, and even starting smiling herself. As Shinji noticed this though, he also saw that tears were silently leaking from her eyes. This shocked him immensely, and he couldn't help but pause and ask if she was alright.

"Asuka, what's wrong?"

"Nothing...I'm just happy," she replied with a radiant smile, ignoring the tears of happiness which were uncontrollably streaming down her cheeks. Shinji stared at her within arms length, and then slowly drew closer to her, kissing her softly against her cheek, his lips brushing against the salty tears. Asuka continued silently crying, as her body began to feel warm and her heart elated.

Shinji pressed his lips against hers again, this time kissing her more deeply as his tongue found hers, and they became entwined with one another. Shinji quickly found his brain begin to shut off as they kissed, while his desires began to take over. Their bodies were now firmly pressed against each other as they stood in the middle of the kitchen. Shinji felt a reaction pressing against his pants, and didn't mind it in the slightest. Towards the woman he loved, this was normal, and more so when she wasn't drunk.

Shinji quickly had to suppress himself though, when Asuka began pressing her body more firmly against his. She obviously knew that he was aroused, and could feel his groin pressing against her, but she didn't shy away from this sensation. She had come to accept this, and even wanted it. Her warm body pressed against his, creating friction, and Shinji was quickly losing control of the thing between his legs. He had never felt like this until today, but he tried holding himself back.

Asuka suddenly stopped however, and drew back from him. Shinji had complicated feelings with regards to this, but was unsure whether he wanted her to continue or not. Anymore would have been dangerous. Asuka still hadn't finished though, because she took his hand and whispered directly into his ear-

"Lets continue this on the couch since it'll be more comfortable."

She breathed softly against his ear after she said this, and Shinji felt a pleasant shiver travel up his spine. He didn't even nod, but just placed his hand in Asuka's, letting her steer him towards the couch. Lying down, Asuka pulled Shinji on top of her, their faces inches apart from each other. Shinji pressed his lips against hers, and they continued kissing, but Shinji now wanted to repay Asuka for what she had done earlier.

He wished that she was wearing shorts as he did this, but he supposed there would be opportunity for that another time. Placing a hand on her leg, he slowly trailed his hand up, before circling around to her inner thigh. As he had started this, Asuka's interpretation of what he was going to do played out in her head, and her body shuddered pleasantly, the spot between her legs quickly growing moist. When Shinji's hand moved to her inner thigh, Asuka realized her erotic thought had been wrong, but Shinji did something instead which was pleasant for Asuka.

He began rubbing her thigh slowly, still wishing that she wasn't wearing pants, but the effect seemed to make Asuka react. She moaned softly, her voice leaking out while they continued to kiss passionately. Next, Shinji slowly moved his hand up towards her hips, and then surprising Asuka, placed his hand against her butt, grasping her slightly. Asuka was so surprised, that for one moment, she even stopped kissing Shinji, but his hand didn't remain at her butt for long, and quickly snaked its way up her back, touching her smooth skin. Asuka's body started shivering uncontrollably as waves of pleasure assaulted her, the wetness between her legs becoming even more pronounced.

This is what she had wanted, what she had always wanted in the far reaches of her heart. Finally, she felt the emptiness within her being filled. If things continued as they were, then eventually, Asuka would willingly give her entirety to Shinji.

Shinji still wasn't set on this course however. Separating his lips from hers, Shinji sat up, positioning himself beside Asuka so that he was no longer crushing her with his weight. Asuka wasn't pleased with his though, and gave a low sigh while she looked at him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"...Sorry, I'm just having difficulty coping right now."

'Why do you have to make things so complicated?' wondered Asuka. 'Isn't it enough to just accept it?'

Sitting up, Asuka leaned against him, her eyes locking onto his chest, and then turning down towards his waist. She didn't want to stop, but Shinji seemed distracted right now. She wanted to press her body against his bare chest like in the past, but even that wasn't enough. Though she was unsure about it right now, she was curious about the thing between his legs. She had felt it pressing against her many times before, even with the separation of their clothes, but this was the first time she gave it serious thought. In the past, these thoughts might have repulsed her, but now, they turned her on.

Like Asuka said in the past, she wasn't going to stop chasing after what she wanted. Pressing her warm body against Shinji again, she felt him shudder slightly as her breasts pressed into his side. He was focusing on something else at the moment, but she saw his eyes flicker over to her briefly. She wanted to know what he was thinking right now, even if his thoughts were erotic. Asuka gave him a seductive smile, but Shinji very pointedly looked away from her. Asuka's smile turned into a smirk, at least glad that she was getting a reaction from Shinji now. Looking down at his pants, she noticed that there was still a significant bulge there. She began staring it at, though quickly looked away when Shinji's eyes flickered back to her, her face briefly turning red.

'Whatever,' thought Asuka. Standing up, she stretched, letting out a small yawn in the process. After walking down to the field in back, coupled with her lack of sleep, she was feeling tired.

"I think I'm going to sleep for a few hours. Wake me up around dinner if you will."

"Right," said Shinji, his voice strained slightly.

Shinji didn't look around the house again until after Asuka had gone upstairs, though in all honesty, he wished he could have gone upstairs before her. Simply put, he needed to change his underwear. He hadn't stopped kissing Asuka because he didn't want to continue, but because he was overly aware of his groin pressing against his pants, and the wetness that had quickly spread. Shinji wasn't sure whether he felt disgusted, or relieved in a certain sense.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he tried to distract himself for a while, at least until dinner.

* * *

><p>Shinji found cooking to be far more difficult to focus on than he initially thought. He had fine tuned his methods over the long course of his time working on a campfire, or makeshift stove, but with Asuka's face constantly in his mind, he found it nearly impossible to work.<p>

After burning the canned food for the third time in a row, Shinji sank into the wicker chair, and buried his face in his hands. He couldn't get Asuka's face out of his mind, and more importantly, her body. He wanted to feel her smooth skin as his hands explored every inch of her body. He didn't want to deal with her clothes preventing him from doing this.

Shinji had been battling with his arousal constantly through the afternoon ever since Asuka had gone upstairs, and even considered relieving it himself, but had held himself back. The more he thought about her though, the more uncomfortable he became.

"Why does it smell like burning cardboard out here?" came a voice behind him.

Spinning around, Shinji saw that Asuka had opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside, though because of his distraction, he hadn't noticed.

"Do you really need to ask that?" said Shinji with a grumble.

"Well, it's good to know you're human I suppose. This is my first time I've seen you actually mess up while cooking. What happened?"

'I couldn't stop thinking of you, and ended up burning the food,' thought Shinji, obviously not capable of speaking these thoughts out loud.

"I was distracted," said Shinji simply.

"Hmm?" wondered Asuka with a raised eyebrow, assuming far more from this simple statement then what Shinji had said.

"Well, guess I'll take over at least since you seem incapable right now."

"I thought you were sleeping."

"I was, until I got woken up by the smell of charcoaled food."

"...Sorry," mumbled Shinji.

"Don't worry about it," said Asuka with a smile. "Consider it my attempt at repaying you for putting up with me these past few months. I know I've been an idiot."

"Asu-"

Asuka placed a finger against his lip, silencing him immediately.

"Not another word. Just sit there and let me deal with everything."

Shinji closed his mouth and did just that, letting Asuka take over the task of preparing dinner. Quickly though, it became clear to Shinji that Asuka had an ulterior motive for cooking dinner. She was making far larger motions that pronounced her body, and seemed to always want her back at Shinji. With this, Shinji was able to see her butt, clearly defined by the tight jeans she was wearing. He was tempted to stand up multiple times and go wait in the living room, though Asuka would occasionally throw glances at him, and Shinji knew that if he tried to stand up, she'd make him sit back down.

So, with the pressure in his pants redoubled, Shinji sat in the chair with his eyes glued to Asuka, who couldn't help but occasionally chuckle. She was having fun teasing Shinji in such a way, though she didn't mind cooking either.

This continued all the way until Asuka was serving dinner, which they ate outside. The sun was just disappearing behind the horizon, and they had front row seats to this spectacle. Sitting beside each other, they silently ate the dinner the Asuka had finished. Shinji wasn't feeling as uncomfortable as he was earlier, but there was still the occasionally reaction as he glanced at Asuka. She was enjoying herself however, and didn't seem to be worried about much.

When they were finished, Shinji took up the task of cleaning everything, since he had made most of the mess while trying to prepare the food, and failing multiple times. While he was doing this, Asuka disappeared back upstairs. Shinji wasn't sure whether she had gone back to sleep, but even if she did, he found this rather odd. Either way, he tried focusing on cleaning the kitchen and grill in the meantime.

Placing the last of the dishes in the cupboard, he dried his hands off in front of the sink. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about what Asuka was doing right now, so before anything else, he decided to go check on her.

Marching up the stairs, he then walked down the long hallway to the bedroom, and was surprised to find it closed. Shinji found this strange, but thought that Asuka may be changing. Knocking on it twice, he got a reply from her, and then entered the bedroom.

Asuka was laying on the bed, though she was clearly in no mood to go to sleep. Her back was against the headboard, and her legs were drawn up in front of her. There was a book beside her, so Shinji assumed that she might have been reading, but there was something about her expression as he walked in that he couldn't figure out.

"God, about time you show up. What did you do, clean both the kitchen and living room?"

Shinji let that slide, and was about to open his mouth when Asuka swung her legs off the bed, and then jumped up the rest of the way, springing her body forward. She darted towards Shinji, wrapped her arms around him, drawing him into a strong hug.

"Asuka?" asked Shinji, a bit surprised by this suddenness.

Asuka didn't reply, her face buried in Shinji's chest. She had been waiting for him this entire time, so she was trying to suppress her sudden desires temporarily. There were so many things she wanted to do right now, but she had to put those on hold for now.

Breaking apart, Asuka looked up at Shinji, wanting to kiss him. Instead, she asked him for a small favor.

"Hey Shinji, I want you to turn around for a second."

"...Why?" asked Shinji rather skeptically.

"I won't say. Just turn around."

Shinji frowned at her, and for one moment, Asuka thought she may have to forcefully turn him, when he moved his feet, and stared at the door behind him.

"Is this alright?"

"...Yeah," said Asuka.

Shinji let out a low sigh, wondering what Asuka was doing behind him. Whatever it was, she was being careful, and he couldn't hear anything of importance. There was a very obvious possibility that arose in Shinji's mind, but he pushed that thought away. For Asuka to do something like that, he didn't feel it very plausible.

"Okay Shinji...you can turn around."

Shinji did so, without much thought, and when he saw Asuka, immediately felt a reaction from his groin. Asuka was standing there, clad in nothing but her white underwear. This wasn't the first time Shinji had seen her in nothing but underwear, though Asuka was blushing furiously, and her hands were fidgeting in front of her, while her eyes were directed at the floor. Her cleavage was well defined, even though her bra expertly held her breasts in place. Her butt was heavily accented, and her underwear met the definition of cute, with lace at her hips, and a delicate pattern done along the hem. Shinji swallowed every perverted thought he suddenly had...but he wanted her then and there.

"...Hey...Shinji?"

"...Yes?"

"...This isn't weird, is it?"

Shinji paused, and thought long and hard about this question before he answered her.

"No...it's natural. Afterall Asuka, I lo-"

Whether Asuka had any sort of inkling towards what Shinji had been about to say, she didn't say, and likely hadn't heard him. At the words 'natural', Asuka was already halfway towards Shinji. Cutting him off, she pressed her lips firmly against his, her near naked body pressing against his.

Shinji felt all of his neurons fire at once, as nerve impulses traveled along his whole body, creating waves of pleasure that he had never felt before. He kissed Asuka hungrily, wrapping his arms around her, his hands clawing at her back. Asuka arched herself backwards, her hips grinding against Shinji's, feeling a reaction from his groin. She was quickly becoming lost in this, but she wanted to keep her mind clear if she could.

Their tongues reached one another, and soon they were entwined with one another as the exchange of saliva occurred. Asuka began heating up once again, and her body started tingling, her underwear quickly becoming moist. This wasn't enough though. She wanted more than just this. She wanted Shinji to explore her entire body. She wanted him to squeeze her butt, and brush his finger against her nipples.

While Asuka's mind began to slow degrade into more erotic things, she didn't realize that Shinji had stopped kissing her. Slowly, it began to dawn on her, and she briefly thought bitterly that he had reached his limit, and was forcefully stopping himself. What did it take for him to take her damn it? Hadn't she done everything she could without actually telling him to just do it? Asuka didn't know it, but she was wrong in her assessment however.

Grabbing the edge of his shirt fluttering near his waist, Shinji pulled it up and over his head in one fluid motion, chucking it into a corner of the room. Asuka stared blankly back at him after he had done this, and then slowly placed a hand against his chest. Shinji shivered briefly at her touch, but Asuka then placed her other hand against his chest, and her hands started moving on their own. She explored his upper chest, as she had done multiple times before this. Her hands moved over his muscles, his nipples, his navel, and up to his broad shoulders, eventually wrapping her arms around his neck, and looking into his eyes. Without any hesitation, Asuka kissed him, wrapping her lips around his, inserting her tongue into her mouth.

Now that his shirt was off as well, the sensation of Asuka's breasts, concealed by nothing but a bra, pressing against his chest was almost too much for Shinji. Asuka wasn't large breasted by any means, but neither was she small. They were average, and while Asuka still had room to grow, it wasn't like they weren't large enough for Shinji. They would fit perfectly in his hand, giving him plenty to play with, but even with them pressed against his chest, he could tell how flexible they were. Just by glancing down at her chest, he could see the moderate gap between her breasts, and longed to plunge his hand down that mysterious gap.

Asuka caught him looking, and give him a slight smirk, before drawing his eyes back to her face, kissing him, her lips sucking against his own. Her nails clawed at his back, creating scratch marks, making Shinji shiver. Asuka didn't care about the moisture between her legs, even though her underwear was slick now. She lost herself in her kiss with Shinji, as their hands ran along each others backs. Asuka's mind had shut off entirely.

Pressing her hips against his, she created friction against his groin, pleased that the expression on Shinji's face showed his discomfort and pleasure. She wasn't done though. Firmly securing her arms around his neck, Asuka took one quick glance at Shinji, before she jumped slightly, her legs wrapping around his hips, while her own hips pressed against his. Shinji had just enough time to register what she was about to do, and was able to support her with his arms around her waist, though his hands were incredibly close to her butt.. He wasn't sure how long he could maintain this position, even though Asuka was pretty light.

They continued kissing, with their bodies entwined with one other, still standing beside the bed. Shinji's groin was painfully pressing against his pants, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with this pain. Having Asuka's hips pressed against his own, along with the spot between her legs wasn't making it any easier. He was surprised to find that Asuka was wet herself, and he could feel the moisture from her underwear seeping into his own pants. Shinji hadn't realized Asuka was this aroused, though judging by the way she was kissing him, she wasn't worried about that. This only served to turn him on further though, and he had a sudden desire to touch that spot between her legs.

Soon though, Shinji found that he couldn't keep clinging onto Asuka in such a way, and he turned towards the bed, laying her down on it, before collapsing beside her. He was panting heavily with his eyes closed. If it was now, he probably had enough time to change into something more comfortable like sweats or shorts since Asuka seemed to be fairly tired herself.

This quickly changed though, and Asuka suddenly pressed her lips against his, before climbing on top of him, straddling his waist. She was practically sitting on his groin, and Shinji had to fight back the urge to push her off because it hurt so much. If he thought this was bad though, Asuka slowly began grinding against him, her hips moving backwards and forwards. She was grinning seductively, and Shinji knew she was thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. If this continued, Shinji knew he wouldn't be able to hold back any more, and would explode.

Before this was allowed to happen, Shinji sat up, grabbing Asuka's shoulders and throwing her down on the bed. Asuka looked like she wasn't very happy about this, and was about to complain when Shinji stood up. Immediately, he unbuttoned his pants while facing away from her, and stripped them off himself. Pulling on a very loose pair of sweats, Asuka blushed immensely when he turned back to her. There was a significant bulge pressing against the fabric, not leaving anything to the imagination of what it was. But now that Shinji was done changing, and thoroughly more comfortable, he intended to repay Asuka for what she had done.

He slowly approached her, his eyes clinging to her well formed body, and Asuka felt her heart flutter at his gaze. She had sat up when he had gotten up, worried that he had reached his limit, but now she was slowly falling back to the bed as he approached her. Enveloping her entire body with his, Shinji brought his lips to hers, kissing her sweetly. Asuka enjoyed this kiss, but then she felt a strong shock coming near her waist. Shinji had placed a hand against her thigh, and was running a single finger against her skin, his finger nail creating faint lines against her smooth skin. Asuka started squirming, her body tingling, and small moans began leaking out of her mouth, all the while, the wetness between her legs continued flowing.

Shinji's finger slowly started moving its way upwards, passing over her underwear, and lingered at her stomach. Shinji watched her face squirm as he moved his finger in a circle along her belly, enjoying the different expressions she was making. For all the teasing that Asuka gave him, she was very weak against such means herself. As Asuka's opened her mouth to leak out her small voice filled with pleasure, Shinji silenced her, kissing her strongly, inserting his tongue into her mouth. Asuka wrapped her arms around him clinging to him, returning the kiss desperately.

Breaking off the kiss, Shinji redirected his gaze to Asuka's belly, his finger now moving further up. Asuka saw this, shivering as he touched her. He was reaching her breasts slowly, but he was taking his leisurely time, something which Asuka had noticed. He really was teasing her as much as possible, and Asuka was reaching her limit of anticipation, when Shinji's hand reached her bra. Asuka didn't know what she expected, and she didn't think Shinji knew what he was doing either, but she just let things happen as they would.

Shinji stopped though, his eyes fixated on her breasts, but he wanted to be sure this is what Asuka wanted before he did anything else. Even though she had been teasing him immensely earlier, this went farther than that.

"Asuka, just to be absolutely sure, this is something you want?"

**(A/N: Following pages, (Yes pages) contains sexual acts, but no actual intercourse. Brief summary at end. As usual, look for next bold faced lettering)**

Asuka would have grabbed Shinji's hand herself and placed it against her breast if she wanted to, but she'd rather him do it under his own power. Having Shinji do all these things himself was something that Asuka what. So, she simply nodded once to give her reply. Shinji looked at her for a few seconds longer, before he stared back at her breasts again, concealed by her bra, and then slowly placed his hand over her right breast, cupping it softly.

Truthfully, Shinji had long gone passed the point of knowing what to do, and was just fumbling things along the way, though this didn't seem to matter much to Asuka. Her panting grew ragged as he began to slowly fondle her breast, and even though he was clumsy, it was endearing in a way that relaxed Asuka. She bit her lips, enjoying the feel of his hand against her soft breast, but there was still a problem; Shinji was only cupping it from outside the bra, and while this was pleasant, Asuka wanted to experience things further.

Wrapping her legs around him, she pulled him closer, kissing him briefly, and then arched her back, pressing her hips against his. Shinji ignored the sudden friction against his groin, continuing to focus on Asuka's breast. Slipping a hand inside her bra, he grasped her breast with his hand, and quickly became lost massaging Asuka's soft flesh. The texture was unbelievable, and Shinji couldn't help but wish he had done this sooner.

Asuka was throughly enjoying this on a whole different level than Shinji. This was nothing like when she did it herself. Having somebody else's hands pressed against her breast, and rubbing against her erect nipple was far different than when she pleasured herself. Shinji's clumsiness was almost more arousing than if he knew what he was doing. Asuka held back her voice as much as possible, but everything below her waist was tingling wildly.

As Shinji continued fondling her, he started to become more daring. His hand was cupping her breast, and even though he couldn't see what he was doing, since his hand had slipped inside her bra, he was relying on his sense of touch instead of sight to pleasure her. His fingers rolled around her erect nipple, pinching her slowly. Shinji couldn't help but smile slightly as he glanced at Asuka's face, indescribable pleasure plastered across it. He was no longer content with just feeling her breast though, and suddenly flipped her bra up, and over both of her breasts revealing them to him.

Shinji stared for a long while at her, ignoring the sudden stuttering from Asuka who seemed to have quickly grown embarrassed. It had been months since he had seen them in the hot springs, though he honestly wasn't sure how much he they had grown since then. The one thing he did notice immediately, was how erect her pink nipples were. It was one thing to feel them against his fingers, but actually seeing them, and knowing that she was aroused was entirely different. Shinji felt himself growing even harder as he stared at her breasts, and cupped both of them, slowly starting to massaging them.

He carefully explored every inch of her soft flesh. There was no blemish on her smooth skin, no sign of imperfection, or lumps of any kind. They were well rounded, and soft, fitting almost perfectly in his hands. He marveled at them, unable to tear his eyes away from this sight. Shinji was so focused on her breasts, that he hardly noticed the expressions that were rapidly appearing on Asuka's face.

This still wasn't enough for Shinji however. He had restrained himself for so long, and had nearly thought about Asuka's breasts every day since that winter day at the hot springs, so he was releasing all his pent up desires without realizing it. Leaning down to her chest, Shinji took one quick glance up at Asuka, but saw that she was in her own world, her hands covering her forehead as waves of ecstasy exuded off of her. Only imagining what sort of reaction he would get from her, Shinji drew incredibly close to Asuka's left breast so that his lips were mere inches away from it, and breathed softly on her nipple.

Asuka's entire body jerked with such force, her hips crashing against Shinji's, as her legs wrapped themselves tighter around Shinji, pulling him closer to her. Shinji was propelled forward, his face firmly pressed against her breasts. Asuka let out a low shriek, the spot between her legs tingling pleasantly.

Shinji refocused his advances though, and with his face buried in Asuka's breasts, he started fondling them again, but quickly changed his method of attack. Turning to face her left breast, his hand continued focusing on her right, while he brushed his lips against the smooth skin of her left breast. He started kissing her softly, his kisses trailing up until he found Asuka's nipple. Her body was still squirming uncontrollably, and when he placed his lips around her pink nipple, he thought Asuka might snap his back in half with the amount of force she was mustering from her legs.

He started sucking on her nipple, his tongue rolling around it, covering every inch of the protrusion. He heard his own name start to be called by Asuka as the pleasure washed over her, but his mind was only focusing on her erect nipple. The inside of his mouth grew hot as his saliva continued to mix with her skin. Redoubling his focus on her right breast, his thumb rolled around her nipple, and pinched it between his thumb and forefinger. As he did this, he completed his last means of attack. Carefully, he placed Asuka's erect nipple between his teeth, and bit gently into it.

Asuka's wholeheartedly screamed as he did this, her voice echoing around the room. She had been trying to keep her voice down throughout all this, but she couldn't contain herself any more. The stimulus of having both her nipples toyed with was so strong, that Asuka felt something suddenly release between her legs. She had reached her climax.

Removing his lips from Asuka's nipple, Shinji glanced up at her face, beads of sweat streaming down her cheeks. Moving his face closer to her, he kissed her tenderly, their tongues immediately finding each other. Asuka was significantly tired however, and could only kiss him for several seconds before she broke it off, panting wildly. She never knew she could feel this existed, and was surprised at how focused Shinji had been. A special feeling that she had difficulty describing slowly began enveloping her.

"Asuka...are you okay?" asked Shinji, speaking for the first time in several minutes.

"Yeah," she replied, still panting slightly. Her whole body was sweating, and she thoroughly needed to wipe herself off...but she wasn't done yet. Shinji had toyed with her enough, and had given pleasure which she had never felt before. There was still something she could do.

While still panting wildly, Asuka grabbed Shinji shoulders, and then flipped him onto his back, crawling on top of him. Shinji had sorta assumed that they were done, since Asuka seemed exhausted, and he himself was feeling spent in a certain way, so he was surprised by this change.

"Asuka, what are you doing?" he asked slowly.

Grinning slightly, Asuka said, "Returning the favor."

With her half naked body pressed against him, and her face near his watching the confused expression on his face, she enjoyed watching the sudden change as her right hand began trailing down towards his waist. Realizing what she was doing, Shinji tried to utter his rejection at this, but Asuka silenced him with a kiss. She wouldn't let him snake his way out of this, not after what he did to her. She was returning the favor afterall.

Her hand continued moving towards his waist, passing over his stomach, before pausing at his hips. Asuka felt a bit nervous about what she was doing, but she was also prepared. She continued kissing Shinji, effectively silencing any reply from him, but she thought that he might be beyond carrying at this point. Stealing herself for the finally push, she slowly moved her hand to his groin.

She wasn't surprised to find that he was still erect, though she was surprised at how hot it was, even through the sweats and boxers he was wearing. Just as Shinji was, Asuka didn't know what she was doing, and starting fumbling through things, but Shinji didn't seem to mind this in the least. She slowly ran her finger along his bulge, going up one end, and briefly lingering on the tip, before trailing down the other side. Shinji shivered uncontrollably at this movement, and Asuka thought she noticed a stain starting to spread, seeping through his sweats.

Grasping the whole thing in her hand, Asuka slowly started stroking it. She couldn't help but smile inwardly as she saw Shinji's eyes glaze over as she continued stimulating him. Soon, all of Shinji's thoughts were cut off, and he even forgot about kissing her, at which point Asuka stopped as well. He was beyond protesting at this point, so Asuka focused on what she had clasped between her hand.

Asuka didn't have anything to compare it to, but Asuka couldn't help but think Shinji slightly big. She wondered how different it would be to feel it without the clothes between it, but she wasn't sure she was ready for that quite yet. Shinji had only touched her breasts, and her she was stroking his manhood. She could feel it twitching in her hand, and wondered how close he was to his climax.

She began moving her hand faster, pleasuring Shinji. This should feel dirty to her, but it oddly didn't. She found herself slowly growing wet again, and tried ignoring that. She had already had her turn afterall.

She began alternating her motions, going faster and then slower, occasionally tracing her finger along his tip. Shinji began panting wildly, his body jerking slightly. Asuka smiled at him, and redoubled her efforts, going even faster. She couldn't help but feel that she should do more somehow, and suddenly decided to do to Shinji what he had done to her. Moving her face away from his, she drew close to his chest, and started kissing him there, all the while her hand working at his erection. Her lips traveling along his skin, kissing him everywhere, before finding his nipple. Her tongue lolled out, as she began to lick him, something which Shinji hadn't done himself. She was glad to see his expression had change again, and that he seemed to be slightly embarrassed.

Asuka's hand began working faster. The friction of her hand rubbing against his erection, and the sweats and boxers rubbing against him was too much for Shinji, and his body suddenly starting jerking. It had been many days since he had masturbated, but having this done for him was completely different, especially when it was a half naked Asuka.

Shinji reached his climax, as his body gave three sudden jerks as he thrust forward slightly. He was panting wildly, and now feeling extremely tired, even though Asuka had done all the work just now. Glancing over at Asuka, he saw that she was looking at her hand slightly however, and seemed to have a slight frown on her face. Her hand was significantly moist, and Shinji felt like he should apologize for that, but Asuka didn't seem to necessarily have a problem with it either.

**(A/N: Ends here. Basically, Shinji plays with Asuka's breasts, eventually bringing her to her climax, and then she gives him a handjob , bringing him to climax as well.)**

Letting out a low sigh, Asuka glanced back at Shinji. She wasn't entirely sure what to say right now, but she did know she needed to clean herself off.

Swinging her legs out of the bed, she didn't bother putting on her bra, but went into the bathroom. Shinji waited for his turn, and when she came back, Asuka was in a new pair of underwear, but she hadn't bothered to put on a bra. Shinji didn't even have enough energy to feel anything from this, even though he still thought her beautiful.

Entering the bathroom himself, he changed out of his soiled boxers and sweats, and thoroughly cleaned off his privates, before dawning a new pair of boxers. Wiping the sweat off his body, he wished that he could take a shower. Well, tomorrow they'd probably have to go to the hot spring to properly clean themselves. He had a nagging suspicion that if they started doing this everyday, they'd be spending a lot more time there.

Reentering the bedroom, he saw Asuka sitting upright on the bed. She still hadn't bothered to put a bra on, and for a second, Shinji's eyes became transfixed on her breasts once again, before he tore his eyes away to look at her face. Asuka was patting the spot next to her, signifying that she wanted them to sit beside each other for a minute. Shinji did so, climbing on the bed to sit beside her, his legs crossed in front of him.

"So...um-," started Shinji.

"Shinji...I'm happy," said Asuka, cutting him off before he could make a stupid comment. "I haven't felt like this in a while. Truthfully, thank you. I feel like a idiot for trying to seduce you while drunk now. I should have known better."

"...Well, I was holding back myself anyway," said Shinji as she scratched the back of his head. "And like you said, I shouldn't have just left everything to you. On another note...do you plan on sleeping like that?" he asked, gesturing towards her near nakedness.

Glancing down at her own bare chest, Asuka smirked slightly before asking, "Why? Does it before you?"

'Yes and no,' thought Shinji. 'No for obvious reasons, and yes because I think I'll be hard all night.'

In the end, Shinji just shrugged, and kissed Asuka briefly, before crawling back to the pillows, and laying down on his. Asuka did so as well, tucking herself under the blankets, before rolling over to Shinji's side. Thankfully, she didn't press her breasts against his bare chest, and had her back to him instead, so at least she was considerate for his wellbeing in some manner.

Slowly though, Shinji wrapped his arms around her middle, and pressed his face against her silky hair, inhaling her sent deeply. He hadn't told her yet, that he loved her, but there was still plenty of time left for that.

Sighing deeply into her hair, Shinji, and Asuka as well, fell asleep together, wrapped in each others warmth.

* * *

><p><strong>So first off, this chapter is more than 13k words, and the longest chapter in Two of Us so far. Considering I ended up cutting some stuff out of the previous chapter, I ended up going all out with this chapter, which is why there are about six pages of paragraphs straight, dedicated to Shinji and Asuka fooling around. With that said, there was one large piece that I omitted since this was getting too long, plus I still gotta save a couple things for the next two chapters. <strong>

**Onto the sudden update. For anybody that works, I'm sure you'll have the feeling of days just blending together. Same thing happened to me, and about four days ago I think it was, I realized that Valentines was less than 2 weeks away or so. And with that, I plan on releasing the next two chapters of the rest of the first half on Valentines Day. Gonna by a long two weeks, but this chapter was finished in less than a week, so no problems hopefully.**

**Lastly, and I'm a bit unsure about it, but the A/N warnings for anybody that skipped them, were they in a suitable place? It felt odd trying to determine where the proper cutoff point was for content which may be too explicit for some readers, but I think I got it at a suitable spot. If not, feel free to let me know, and I'll adjust the warning.**

**Other than that, look forward to the double update in around two weeks.**


	28. Future

**First chapter to come out today. I'll talk about a few things in the next one. Oh, and only one A/N warning. Look for bold lettering as usual.**

* * *

><p>When was the last time this had happened? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? What was it truly afterall when it came down to it? What was the significance behind his own existence? Why did he exist? For himself? For her? For a possible future, the time which hadn't come yet?<p>

The sky above his head was blue, so blue that the ocean in which he floated in seemed to be a direct reflection of the sky. Not a single cloud loomed overhead, but the sun beat down on his face anyway. He shielded his eyes, trying to block out the glare, but the sun still somehow managed to pierce through his fingers.

Sitting up, be began wondering why he was even floating in the water in the first place, especially since he could just as easily walk on the water. Looking down at his own body, he saw that he was naked, but not a single drop of water clung to his skin. In the first place, where was this anyway?

He looked around, but as far as the eye could see, the only thing that surrounded him was the blue ocean, and the blue sky above his head. How had he ended up here? He couldn't remember anything before this in the first place, so he was unsure. Should he start walking? Is it possible he isn't the only person here? Maybe if he tried walking, he'd eventually find these answer?

He did just that, choosing a direction at random, and started walking. He felt nothing while he walked. The sensation of the water between his toes, the wind which was blowing against his face: it was like his five senses didn't exist. What was the point in even having his eyes open then?

He tried closing them, but for some reason, he could still see in front of him, even though everything had been shrouded in darkness. Even if he couldn't see, couldn't feel, and couldn't hear, he was still moving forward to the future, whatever it entailed.

He had no idea how long he continued walking for, only that the concept of time began alluding him. He didn't know where he had started, and where he had come from. His thoughts were blank, though his feet continued moving forward. The past didn't matter, and had already slipped away from his mind, already having been forgotten. What was laying ahead for him? Was there anything in the first place, or was he just being hopeful?

Why hopeful? What did he hope to gain if he continued moving? He didn't know who he was, or even where he was. Hope was a foreign concept to him. What did it mean for him to exist in this empty world? Was it meaningless, his attempts at moving forward? If this was it, then maybe he should just give up, and lie down until death greeted him?

He kept walking though, some force seeming to drive him forward.

The sun never moved, the ocean never changed, and the sky never grew dark. Time was frozen in this plane of existence, except for the young teenager who walked along the waters surface. He was alone in this sea of nothingness. He was a unique individual, unlike anybody else who had ever existed in the world. He was alone.

No, not quite alone it seemed.

In the distance, a figure arose beyond the horizon in which his eyesight could pierce. When he noticed this, his feet quickened, and he began speeding up, racing towards the figure in the distance. The person seemed to have noticed him as well, because they too sped up, running towards him. He had wait and hoped for another person within this world, and he had finally found one. The first emotion he'd ever felt began welling up inside him as he neared the figure.

But something was off.

His pace slowed down to a jog, and eventually to a walk, before arriving directly in front of the other person. He stared at the face so familiar to him, and then slowly raised up his own hand in front of the person. The person did the same, raising his own hand in a parallel motion with the teenager, matching his movements directly towards him, almost mirroring his actions. It wasn't similar to a mirror though, it was a mirror.

The teenage boy was staring back into his own face. Every action he performed, his other self performed as well. He pressed his hand against his other selfs hand, staring at the same actions being taken by his other self. Were there two of him, and this was just some game that some supernatural force was playing with them? Was it possible this was just the end of the world? Or, was this simply a mirror of himself, reflecting everything both negative, and pleasant about him?

What was true, and what wasn't? What was happening? What was the significance towards this? Did it have any meaning in the first place? Another emotion, something which he couldn't understand, or even grasp the concept of starting filling him. Raging anger, boiling from within him started surfacing. Why was this happening to him? He didn't deserve this! How was it that this whole world was so empty? Why was he the only person here!?

Then, the reflection of himself in the mirror changed. The face remained the same, but the expression changed to something he couldn't recognize. A shadow sprang out from him, even though the sun's position hadn't moved. A thin sneer appeared on his lips, almost condescending. Finally, the eyes turned a deep blood red, and seemed to be sunken deeper into the skull.

The teenage boy stared back at this strange change, and felt himself speaking the the first time since he had first conceived thought in this strange world.

"Who are you?"

"I'm you."

"...No," the teenager said. "Everything about you is different compared to me. I'm not you."

There was a long silence from the other image of him, but finally they said-

"No, I don't suppose you are me afterall. We are alike, yet altogether different. I am something that once was and you are something which is. Be that as it may, you have your own worries to deal with, and will have problems which I never faced."

"...What do you mean?"

"I can't say, and it hasn't been revealed to me in the first place. You should continue to focus on the person you love though. If my decisions had been different, maybe things would have turned out differently than how they're playing out currently...but this may also be for the best."

The teenager was dumbstruck, hardly understand what his other self was talking about. The one clear thing he understood, was that this other him understood things about himself which he didn't understand. This place, why he was here, what his name was: surely this other him knew all these things. He never got a chance to ask him though.

Pain indescribable suddenly assaulted his right left flank. Slowly, his eyes looked down at the spot between his ribs and hips. Imbedded between these two, was a large knife. Suddenly, the knife was wrenched out of his side, and a large quantity of blood began flowing out. The voice which he had used earlier couldn't even scream, since a hand was now closing over his mouth. Staring back to the reflection of himself, he saw that there was no longer anything there anymore.

Hands began tugging at his body, pulling him down, and he sank into ocean beneath his feet. Underneath the water was crystal clear, with the sun still shinning brightly above him, and he was able to see his assailants. They were all faceless humanoid entities, but each one had a sharp weapon, or blunt instrument clasped in their hand. His body was still being tugged down deeper into the ocean, and he felt another emotion welling up inside him. He was fearful.

He tossed and turned, contorting his body and trying to get away from the shapes that threatened him. They began assaulting him again though, bladed weapons tearing into his skin, ripping apart his flesh, while the blunt weapons cracked his bones. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. His consciousness was slowly starting to fade. Without ever knowing who he was, what this place was, or what the many things his reflection had told...he was going to die here.

At that thought, something seemed to click inside of him. Death would be the ending of his existence. Whatever this world entailed, or whoever he was supposed to meet, if he died here, it wouldn't matter. He was afraid of the darkness that would come about after he died, but his fear of his assailants grew distant. He didn't care what it took, but he wanted to live. If he had to crawl across the ground and become something unlike any human before him, he would do so to survive. Whatever it took, or however many lives he destroyed along the way, he didn't care. He had to survive, not only for his own sake, but for her as well.

Something exploded from within him, and the water was awash with the muted scream of these entities. He didn't think of them as humans, because they truly weren't. Scum of the earth, the lowest form of life possible, insects which he trampled over. Even so, blood spurted, bones crunched, limbs were torn asunder, and bodies were disemboweled. He felt it all, even though he didn't physical touch with any part of his body. But he didn't care. He would push through everything, and secure the future for which he longed for.

Even insects can overwhelm the strongest of opponents however, and the teenager was slowly being worm down by the sheer numbers. Millions of them assaulted him, slashing at his body, while others tried to pull him down to the darkness. He was growing tired, and though he no longer felt their attacks, they were still affecting him. He would get close to the surface, and then they would redouble their attacks, and pull him back down. If he could only reach the surface and escape this darkness, he would be safe.

As he stared up to surface of the ocean, he saw a rush of bubbles, and a hand suddenly appearing under the surface. Fighting of his attackers, he gave one final push, swimming with all his might to the surface. The desperately attacked him, but he continued killing them, the ocean slowly changing from a bright blue, to a dark red. His mind didn't even register when he felt to long slashes at his thighs which ripped apart his muscles. He continued swimming towards his salvation.

Giving one last lunge, he grasped the hand and felt reassurance in the warm palm. The hand softly squeezed his had, letting him know that everything was alright now, and pulled him up to the surface, freeing him from his chains, and guiding him to his future.

* * *

><p>Shinji awoke with a start and sat up, his bare chest glistening with sweat, even though it was fall now. He was breathing heavily, and shivered controllably. He had been dreaming, but it was already starting to slip away. He honestly wasn't even sure if he could call it a dream; it felt like too oddly like one of his visions, though he hadn't had for a long time now, and had honestly thought that those things had passed. Running his hands through his hair, he didn't even notice Asuka sitting beside him with a worried expression on her face.<p>

"You alright Shinji?" she finally spoke.

Glancing beside him, he hadn't noticed that she was awake.

"Yeah, sorry. Bad dream."

"I think it was more than just a bad dream. I tried shaking you multiple times, but you just kept tossing and turning and mumbling incoherent things. It wasn't one of your visions, was it?"

"No," said Shinji, shaking his head. "It wasn't a vision, but neither was it an ordinary dream either. I don't know what to make of it, but most of it has already started to slip away."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I wan't to forget about it," sighed Shinji.

Asuka felt a small smile appear on her lips, and then said, "I think I can help with that."

Shinji hadn't noticed at first, but Asuka was wearing a loose white shirt and panties, but no bra. He felt a reaction from his waist, and soon, they were kissing while tangled in their blankets, Shinji's hands beginning to crawl along her body. They had become much more intimate with each other, and waking up to do these sort of things had become normal, even if the same thing occurred before they went to sleep.

With both their bodies glistening with sweat now, Shinji rolled off Asuka, and then stood up, leaving the bed. Entering the bathroom, he wiped himself down, and then changed into something more suitable when he felt Asuka wrap her arms around him, pressing her body against his. Even though had just relieved him, he quickly felt himself growing hard, owing to her bare breasts pressing against his back. She hadn't wiped herself off, so she was still slick with sweat, but she seemed to have something else on her mind.

"How do you feel now?" asked Asuka.

Shinji couldn't help but smile as he looked at the mirror, both his and Asuka's faces displayed there, hers resting against his shoulder.

"A lot better," he answered truthfully.

Asuka gave a slight smirk, knowing that he wasn't just talking about the dream he had woken up to. Kissing him quickly on the cheek, she started wiping herself down, and changing into her own clothes. Shinji couldn't help but have his eyes glance over to her while he brushed his teeth. No matter how many times he got to kiss her, or touch her breasts, he always wanted more.

While Asuka finished dressing, Shinji went downstairs and started making a simple breakfast. Shinji and Asuka could only assume that with the changing of the season to fall, that roughly two years had passed since they had both woken up in Tokyo-3. In reality, it was October now, but neither of them knew this. Still, two years, and they had vastly matured, and had grown intimate with one another.

While Shinji prepared dinner, he felt himself looking back on these two years, and everything that had happened between them. Some of it he had forgotten, and some of it he would always remember, but a long time had passed since he had met Asuka, at least, this is how he felt.

While waiting for the water to boil, he leaned back in his chair, looking up the sky above his head. The sky was blue, and he was briefly reminded of his dream. It was still fuzzy, but bits and pieces he could still remember, though not all of it. It unnerved him somehow though. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like he should take caution to whatever it had meant.

"Nearly done?" came Asuka's voice as she opened the sliding door.

"I've been sorta taking my time," shrugged Shinji.

"Then I suppose you wont mind if I do this," said Asuka as she sat down on Shinji's lap. Almost immediately, Asuka felt something poking against her butt. Well, at least one part of him was honest.

"Asuka, with you sitting here, it only makes it even more difficult to prepare breakfast."

"So that means you don't like it?"

"...No...quite the opposite really," mumbled Shinji rather inaudibly.

Asuka chuckled lightly at that, but did leave his lap, sitting on the chair beside him. No matter how close they became, Asuka still enjoyed teasing him occasionally, though Shinji was much better about coping with it. Though, not to mention that Asuka had her fair share of teasing as well, and by now, Shinji knew all the spots along her body to make her squirm. She was much better at controlling her desires than she used to be however, and she was no longer attached to a bottle, though she did still drink sometimes. In fact, the one time when Asuka and Shinji both got a bit tipsy together, they had spent nearly two hours wrapped in each other arms, and had only gone to sleep after the alcohol began wearing off. They had both been careful to not drink so much that they blacked out, so they both remembered that night.

They chatted amiably with each other while waiting for breakfast to be done, but Asuka thought that Shinji seemed a bit preoccupied, and he would lose track of the conversation they were having. Whatever his dream was, it looked like it was still bothering him.

"Hey Shinji?" asked Asuka suddenly, cutting him off from what he just been saying.

"What?"

"You sure you don't want to talk about that dream you had?"

Shinji blinked once, before letting out a shrug, and then scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I really can't hide anything from you, can I Asuka..."

"I've seen this same incident too many times to count now, so it's not surprising that I wouldn't recognize you're thinking deeply about something. Besides, if it's troubling you this much, then I think you should talk about it."

Shinji looked back at her for several seconds, before glancing up to the blue sky above his head, eerily similar to the one from his dream, even though it was fall now.

"You're right, as usual," Shinji finally said. "I don't know what to make of it is the problem though. I feel like there's something there which I need to understand, but I don't know what that is. Plus, I can only remember so much of it, which is like most dreams I suppose."

With that said, Shinji started telling Asuka everything he could remember from the dream. The blue sky and blue ocean were the most distinct, and his own self which was walking into the distant horizon. He wasn't sure whether there was anything before this, but he felt like he had walked for a long while. Afterwards, things started to become fuzzy. He knew there was something important in the middle, and there was an outline of a face, but it wouldn't become clear. Then, he remembered sinking into the water, and hands trying to pull him down to the depths. Lastly, he remembered seeing in a hand submerged in the water from the surface, and how he desperately grabbed ahold of that hand, and then woke up.

Asuka was silent after he had finished talking, thinking about what he said. She honestly wasn't sure what to make of it. It was to vague in the first place, but Asuka has to admit that she could see why Shinji was worried about it. There was something that felt ominous about it.

"Is that all you can remember about it?" Asked Asuka coming out of her thoughts.

"Yeah," nodded Shinji. "I wish I knew what had happened in the middle. I have a vague understanding that I spoke to someone, or something, but I don't know what it was."

The more he thought about it though, the more it reminded him about a vision he had had well over a year ago, his last vision, if his dream wasn't considered one. That one had been confusing as well, but they both shared similarities with the faceless entities. This time though, they were causing him harm. Were the two connected somehow?

"Is it possible this is nothing but a bad dream you just had?" asked Asuka.

"Under normal circumstances, I might say yes, but I'm not normal either, so it's possible it was a vision. It isn't the first time this has happened, but this felt much more a like a dream."

"What are you talking about?"

"I told you about it didn't I, about the dream I had after we moved into our old home in Tokyo-2?"

"Did you? I guess I forgot."

"Well, it was a dream, at least I think it was, but I talked with my self that can control an AT-field. I feel like like something similar happened with this dream, but I can't remember what it was."

"I guess I kinda remember you telling me about that, but it was also so long ago. What's your point though?"

Shinji didn't reply. He honestly wasn't even sure why this was bothering him so much. If he could only remember all the details, but dreams never worked like that.

"Are you still practicing?" asked Asuka.

Shinji was surprised that she had brought this up. She obviously knew that he had been, but he had recently in the past few months stopped. He didn't know why, but he still couldn't control it exactly as he wished, and the ability to unconsciously use it without his right hand hadn't happened yet. However, the intimacy that he now had with Asuka was also something that had pushed everything else away. He still had to chop wood, but he found this as a chore, and after he was done, always came back home.

"No I'm not," said Shinji truthfully. "After I finish chopping wood, I always come back."

Asuka watched him, worried that Shinji was thinking about this far too much. Slowly, she leaned close to him, and then rested her hand against his. Shinji looked over at her, recognizing the expression on her face as one of worry. The warmth from Asuka's hand slowly enveloped him,

reminding him that he wasn't alone in this. Grasping her hand tightly, he drew his face closer to her, placing his lips against hers.

Shinji had intended it as a brief thing, but Asuka met his kiss in turn, returning it, and inserting her tongue into his mouth. They kissed like this deeply, until Asuka broke off suddenly and stood up. Her hand was still grasped in Shinji's, and she began steering him back inside the house, and then guided him to the couch, were the fell in each other's arms, continuing to kiss.

Shinji needed this right now, banishing the thoughts he had earlier into oblivion. He became enraptured with Asuka as he continued kissing her. His hands began exploring the body which he knew so well, but never got tired of. He began feeling something pressing against his jeans, and knew by the slight smirk on Asuka's lips that she knew this as well.

**(A/N: Follow page or two contains sexual content, but no actual intercourse. Summary at next bold lettering.)**

With her laying on top of him, she slowly sat up on his waist, and then removed her shirt, revealing the white bra underneath. As she went to undo the clasp at her back though, Shinji sat up and wrapped his arms around her back. Pushing her hands to the side, he himself undid the clasp, forcing the bra to fall from her chest, her breasts spilling out in front of him. Asuka was surprised at his sudden daring, but she had little time to think about this, as she let out a small moan when Shinji's hands enveloped her breasts.

As he had done many times before this, he began massaging them, pinching Asuka's erect nipples, and wrapping his lips around them. He knew all of Asuka's weak points, and where and when to prod them. Her body squirmed with pleasure, and he wondered whether she was near her climax. His own erection was pressing against his jeans so painfully, that he thought might rupture.

Asuka had become more resilient to his attacks however after months of this, and she fought back. Pressing her hands against his chest, she pushed him onto his back, and Shinji was forced to relinquish his grip on Asuka's breasts. Asuka began grinding against his waist, and this time it was Shinji's turn to let out a small groan. She did something unexpected however, and started fumbling at the button fastening his jeans to his waist. This was way beyond Shinji's expectations, and he was about to voice his complainants, when Asuka unbuttoned his pants, and slid them halfway down his thigh. Predictably, his erection sprang up immediately, threatening to break free of his boxers.

Asuka grew hesitant however. She was just going with the normal motions, and her own emotions, but she felt an odd sensation in her stomach as she stared at the object pressing against Shinji's boxers. She was exited, but she want sure what she wanted to do now. Had she gone to far with this? Should she just stop? Did she want to in the first place?

"Asuka?" asked Shinji, wondering what she was thinking about it.

Asuka didn't look at him, but slowly started repositioning herself. Lifting herself up, she moved over Shinji's waist, and sank down, pressing her hips against his. Shinji's expression immediacy changed from confusion to bliss. Asuka didn't noticed though, focused on what she was doing. She started moving her hips back and forth against Shinji's waist. She had done this many times before, but that was when Shinji was wearing jeans. She could feel his thing pressing against the spot between her legs. She could almost feel it pulsating, and felt her underwear start to grow slicker.

Asuka knew how dangerous this was, but felt she no longer cared. While she was feeling good, and she knew that Shinji was as well, she wanted more.

Asuka stopped suddenly, which displeased Shinji, since he had almost been there. She stood up however, and for a moment, Shinji thought that Asuka had reached her limit and was done. She began unbuttoning her pants however, and Shinji could help but stutter at that. In a few moments, Asuka was standing in front of him, bare breasted, in nothing but her white underwear. Shinji wasn't sure where he should look, and he couldn't help but feel a faint blush spread across his cheeks. Asuka herself was blushing, but she seemed firm in her decision. Once again, she climbed on Shinji's waist, and mounted him.

Everything prior to this had been incredible, but Shinji like this was they first time he felt real pleasure. Try as he might, he wasn't able to hold himself together, and as Asuka started moving her hips against his groin, any thought of denying her left his brain. His body started thrusting on its own, his hips pressing against her hips, and her privates pressing against his. The softness of her flesh was unbelievable as it pressed against him, and Shinji felt himself reaching the end.

Asuka had difficulty keeping herself sane when Shinji started moving as well. Her whole body was nearly convulsing as her flesh wrapped around his. She had no idea this could feel so good, and this was only a taste of what it would truly feel like. Asuka wasn't sure whether her body could handle it. She had heard that the first time always hurt, but this was the complete opposite of that. If this was just what pressing each other's bodies together felt like, she wondered what the real thing would feel like.

Asuka was quickly sidetracked however, when Shinji sat up, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her roughly, nearly smashing his lips against hers. Asuka wholeheartedly welcomed this kiss, and kissed him back ferociously, entwining her tongue with his. Both their bodies were sweating, and Asuka's underwear in particular was so wet that it was staining Shinji's boxers. The feel of his erection rubbing against her soft flesh was sending Asuka into a downward spiral of ecstasy and pleasure.

Both could feel everything welling up inside of them however, and Asuka felt herself reaching her climax. She held herself back though, not wanting this to end just yet. Shinji started attacking her breasts again though as they kissed, pinching her erect nipples, and Asuka arched her back suddenly, her body grinding against his, as her whole body jerked, reaching her climax. This was far too much for Shinji though, and before he knew what was happening, he too reach the end, his body giving one final thrust against Asuka's, before he collapsed on top of her.

**(A/N: Not much different in this than previous warning in chapter before this. Main change is they both strip down to there underwear, and grind against each other until they both climax.)**

Both were panting heavily, their faces red, and their bodies slick with sweat, not to mention the state of both their underwear. Asuka felt like her whole head spinning; she had never felt like this before. Whatever she had ever possibly imagined was far beyond compare to what had just happened. She didn't want to move, and could still feel Shinji's thing pressing against her, but she also felt uncomfortable about how moist she was down there.

"Hey Shinji?" she asked.

Shinji gave a low grunt, showing that he was listening to her, but in mood to communicate right now. He was laying on top of her, his head snuggled between her breasts, and didn't seem to want to move.

"Is it all right if I get up?" Asuka asked.

"...I want to continue laying like this," he replied lazily.

Asuka felt a small smile appear on her hips, and then wrapped her arms around his head, holding him tenderly against her.

"Okay, if that's what you want."

But as Asuka continued laying there holding Shinji against her body, she heard him start breathing heavily, and realized that he had fallen asleep.

"Really, sometimes he is just too carefree," mumbled Asuka with a loving smile. Well, at least this way he wasn't worrying about that dream anymore. Asuka could at least remain here with him while he slept peacefully.

Kissing him once on his forehead, Asuka leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, and began slowly reminiscing all the times they had shares together until now.

* * *

><p>Shinji dreamed once again, but it wasn't something hurtful or unpleasant; he was making love to Asuka. As dreams were want to do however, his dream began change. The bed they were laying on disappeared, the feel of his body pressing against Asuka's disappeared, and the taste of her lips disappeared. What had happened moments ago, now disappeared from his memory, replaced by darkness all around him. The darkness began to melt away however, and was replaced by a grey sky. Buildings began springing up all around him, and he slowly began to recognize the landscape, even if he had only stayed in the city a short while before its destruction. It was Tokyo-3.<p>

As his initial confusion wore off, Shinji began walking around the city. It was exactly as he remembered it, with a few minor details which his mind conjured up on the fly. As time passed though, he realized that the entire city was devoid of other humans. What had once been a bustling city, the busiest in Japan, had now become a ghost town. Where was everybody? Where had they gone? Why did he feel so lonely?

He ascended a hill, walking up the length of asphalt. When he reached the top, he saw a figure in the distance. He squinted his eyes, trying to distinguish the outline of the face. He thought he saw a smile appear briefly, but then the figure disappeared into a side alley. Shinji didn't know who this person was, or why they had smiled at him in such a friendly manner, but he decided to give chase.

Racing down the alleyway where he had seen them disappear into, he saw the person standing at the other end waving at him. Shinji started to open his mouth to speak to them, but they disappeared from his sight again, hooking a right onto the street. Closing his mouth and forcing himself forward, he ran down the alleyway, and then turned right as they had.

As Shinji came around the corner though, he stopped in his tracks. He was back at the bottom of the hill, and the figure was standing above him in the same position they had initially been, the same smile on their face. Shinji couldn't help but grimace inwardly, feeling like this person was toying with him. Steeling himself, he jumped off the ground at a sprint, just as the person disappeared from his view once again.

Shinji had no idea how many iterations of this transpired, but he was caught in an endless loop. Even if he turned left at the end of the alleyway, he returned to the hill. If he turned around while facing the hill, he would simply be facing it again. If he tried running backwards through the alleyway, he was standing on top of the hill, and the figure would be at the bottom, waving at him. After so many times of this happening, Shinji gave up, and sat down in the middle of the road facing the hill.

Staring up at the hill, he watched the smile disappear from the persons face briefly, but then reappear with a slight smirk, disappearing into the alleyway. After many moments passed where it became apparent that Shinji wouldn't follow, the person reappeared. A frown was now plastered on their face, not pleased with Shinji's unwillingness to give chase. They sat down, hoping that he would find new resolve, but still, Shinji didn't move. If all they did was run away, then it was altogether pointless to give chase.

When Shinji was wishing this farce would just end however, the figure began walking down the hill towards him. Shinji didn't budge, thinking that if he made any sudden movements they'd run from him again. Slowly, the face of the person came into view, but Shinji could honestly say he had no idea who they were. But something inside of him, something he couldn't place, felt familiar to him. The person was human in form, but neither gender could Shinji attribute to them. They were an enigma to him.

The person, male or female, sat down beside him though, and let a high voice reminiscent of that of a female, so Shinji decide to refer to this person as 'her' instead of 'it.' However, he was still nervous about scaring her away, so he kept his mouth closed in the meantime.

"Ah, I haven't had that much fun in a while. You have no idea how boring things can get here."

She seemed to be expecting him to say something to her, but still Shinji didn't speak. She frowned at him, and then said, "What, did you not enjoy that? You really know how to ruin the fun out of things...Shinji."

Shinji's eyes wavered to her at the sound of his own name. He had sorta been expecting this, but it didn't make any easier to swallow.

"Go on. Talk to me. I won't bite. Ask me anything you want and I'll do my best to answer it."

"...Okay, then who are you I suppose would be my first question?"

"Hmm, well unfortunately, I can't answer that, and you wouldn't believe me anyway. Next."

"Then what is this place?"

"Only you would know that Shinji. What is this place to you?"

"Tokyo-3, or as I remember it from before Third Impact."

"Third Impact huh," she mumbled, seeming lost in her own thoughts.

Shinji watched her for several seconds, wondering why this person felt so familiar to him, but her next question confused him.

"Shinji, do you ever think about what happened in the past, or what's happening in the present, or what may or may not happen in the future?"

Shinji wasn't sure how to reply to this. The past was the past, and while he may cherish things from the past, it has already passed, and so he moved on. The present was what he thought about the most, the here and now which affected him. The future was something he tried not to dwell on. Nobody could predict the future, not with one hundred percent accuracy at least. You could try and prepare for it, but fate had a way of sending you curve balls so that it was difficult to react to.

"Well, I kinda see where you're coming from, but you should think about the future more," she said as though she has read Shinji's mind.

"But you can't predict it, so why bothering worrying about it?"

"It's not just you though that will be affected by the future, but her as well. What about Asuka?"

As she said this, Shinji remembered what had been happening before he had been thrust into this strange world. He had forgotten about her, and he felt ashamed because of this. Asuka was to him, as Eve was to Adam, an existence impossible to separate himself from.

"See, you have to think about the future that doesn't just affect yourself, but the whole picture. What sort of future do you want for yourself and Asuka? Do you believe you can continue living as you are. How long did it take for the food to run out in the first store? How far will you have to start driving when the next place is no longer possible. What if something happens to Asuka and you aren't there? You're right, the future isn't one hundred percent accurate, even for yourself, but you can certainly prepare for it."

"I don't know what you mean by that though. What am I preparing for?"

She looked at him rather sadly at first as though she pitied him, but then said, "I think you may in a far back corner of your mind already know Shinji, even if you try to reject it. But I've already said far too much on the subject. So I think it's about time you woke up."

Shinji did just that, and felt the dream beginning to dissolve around him, even though he was the first to disappear as he woke up. The woman, if that's truly what she was, continued sitting in the middle of the road as the buildings began to vanish around her. There was only so much she could do for them before things were forced to work as they would. Time would be a very precious thing for them as they would eventually realize.

As the world continued disappearing around her, she too disappeared, vanishing into the deep confines of Shinji's conscience.

* * *

><p>When Shinji woke up, he at first thought he was still dreaming. The darkness around him was so deep that it took his eyes a moment to adjust, but this was normal for somehow just waking up as well in pitch blackness.<p>

He was still laying on the couch, but his head was resting on a pillow. Sitting up he glanced around the living room, before spotting a shirt, jeans, and underwear that had been left there for him. He then remembered what had transpired between himself and Asuka, wondering how he could have slept until it was dark out. Stripping himself down, he changed into the fresh clothes right there in the living room, and then went in search of Asuka. One quick glance around the kitchen showed that she wasn't there, or outside, so he assumed that she was upstairs.

He found her as he expected, laying in bed, and reading by candlelight. When Asuka saw him she put down the book, smirking slightly at him.

"Sleep long enough? Did you recuperate?"

Shinji felt himself blush lightly at that remark, knowing what she meant.

"What have you been doing this whole time?"

"Not much. Lazing around the house, reading, cooked dinner for myself, though there is still some left if you want it cold. Oh, and keeping an eye on you."

"Keeping an eye on me?" asked Shinji, puzzled.

"You had another dream, didn't you?"

Shinji didn't say anything; Asuka could just read him to well. Not having any reason to not tell her though, Shinji began speaking. This dream was much clearer than the one he has woken up to, so he was able to tell Asuka in great detail about it, though he left out the early part of his dream. Asuka even laughed lightly when he talked about chasing this strange person, but she grew quite as he reached the end. When he finished, she was frowning slightly.

"And you put stock in this?" asked Asuka.

"I don't know, it's something to think about. Besides Asuka, what should our future be? We haven't talked about it since we've been here, and two years have passed since we woke up in Tokyo-3. Can we realistically continue living here in the first place?"

"This is our home, we can't just leave."

"The house in Tokyo-2 was our home as well, but we left there."

"That was different, and we've been here for more than just two months Can you really just pick up everything and move our lives once again, or ever few years?"

"No, I don't think I could," said Shinji truthfully.

"Then why bother bringing it up?"

Shinji didn't say anything. In reality, he wasn't talking about moving to another house, but something else which could drastically change their lives. They were in this together, and Shinji wasn't going to let anything happen to Asuka, who he loved.

"Now if you're done with the dumb questions, I'm going to bed. I stayed up waiting for you, but am now tired."

Shinji didn't think Asuka was mad at him, but annoyed instead. Shinji watched her adjust herself, and then lay down on the pillow. Shinji wasn't tired yet, so he left the room, wondering what he actually wanted with Asuka.

Asuka didn't immediately go to sleep though, and lay for a while with her face pressed against the pillow. The future: it was something that she tried not to think about. She had no misconception that her and Shinji would ever grow apart, but their were certain things that troubled her, entirely different from Shinji's own worries. She wanted to stay here with him though, and did not want to move. She has grown too accustomed with this place to want to leave it. Not to mention, her feelings for Shinji had been made whole while living in this house, even if she didn't voice them.

'What do I want?' wondered Asuka. In a far corner of her heart, she thought she knew the answer, but things were too soon.

Rolling onto her back, she did her best to fall asleep, while not trying to think about the possible futures which awaited them.

* * *

><p>Shinji didn't know how it had happened or what drove him to make such a decision in the first place, but he was weaving between the stumps of trees as he drove towards the latest group of trees he had started felling. Why he had decided to practice in the dead of night without any sort of light source, even a flashlight, he didn't know. The more he thought about the future though, the more he began to dwell on the possibilities. In particular, the vision he had just after they moved into their house. Some things he had seen had already happened, while other may not, or ever would. But, the words he had been told about preparation came back to him.<p>

Stepping out of truck, he looked up into the clearing he had made. The moon was thankfully shining down right now, but this bright light may not last long. He had never done this while it was dark out, so he was feeling slightly apprehension.

'Well, may as well get started,' thought Shinji, and moments later, he projected his AT-field with a swing of his hand. It felt somehow refreshing to be doing this again, though he couldn't explain why.

He began pushing himself further as he fell back into the familiar motions. It was a simple thing now for him to move through the air as he controlled his AT-field, using it as a springboard. He even stared enjoying the feel of the cool air rushing against his face as he traveled through the air, his body silhouetted in the night sky thanks to the moons light. He was really just becoming familiar with this again, and knew that nothing substantial would come out of tonight, but it was a start. However long it would take him, he would become as proficient with his AT-field as he possibly could.

Taking a brief break, he leaned against his trucks tailgate, a bottle of water beside him that had been left inside the cab. He felt far better now that he was actually doing something, but there was the problem with Asuka. He didn't want to worry her about his own thoughts on the future, or what could happen, but there was still the matter of where they stood. They had come close multiple times to participating in the act, but there were still things that hadn't been said. Before that could happen, Shinji wanted any problems cleared up between them, even if they both knew how the other felt. Still, Shinji wanted to hear those three words from Asuka own lips, no matter how long it would take her to utter them.

Shinji continued practicing through a large part of the night since he had ended up dreaming most of the day away, and it was well after midnight when he finally made his way back to the house. He hoped that he hadn't woken Asuka up when drove into the driveway, but when he softly tiptoed his way down the hallway and into the bedroom, he was glad to see that she was still sleeping.

Slowly stripping off his own clothes, he gently untucked the blankets from his side of the bed, and slid under the covers. Resting his head down on the pillow, he let out a relieved sigh, prepared to fall asleep.

"I was wondering how long you'd be gone for."

Shinji's body jerked in surprise, not thinking that Asuka had been awake. He had certainly heard her low breathing, but he had assumed that she was asleep. Turning towards her, he saw that Asuka was leaning on her side, and looking back at him, a slight frown on her face.

"...You haven't been awake this entire time have you?" Shinji asked after gathering himself.

"No. I've been waking up automatically every few hours though, and always checked to see if you were here. I think not having you beside me made it more difficult to sleep."

This was an incredibly honest thing for Asuka to say, something which she wouldn't have been able to say in the past, but it was the truth.

"Sorry, if I would have known that, I would have been back sooner."

"No, I don't mind. I'm sure you have you're own things to think about," shrugged Asuka. "I assume that you were practicing?"

"Yeah," said Shinji. "Whether it's important or not, I feel I should continue."

"Shinji, is there something you aren't telling me?" asked Asuka suddenly.

Was there? Shinji didn't know. He had no proof for what he thought may happen, only a strange gut feeling, but that was all he was going off right now. If this was it though, then he felt no reason in alarming Asuka. It was something that he felt he could only deal with in the first place, and didn't want to worry her.

"No, everything is fine," stated Shinji.

Asuka didn't look like she bought this, but she let it slide for now. Moving close to him, she rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey...how tired are you right now?" asked Asuka slowly.

"Talking to you has woken me up a bit. Though why?"

"No reason really," said Asuka with a smile, as she leaned towards his face, pressing her lips against his. While not expecting this, Shinji kissed her back slowly, his lips melting against hers. While he didn't feel he could go for a whole round of intimacy, just kissing her like this was fine, and Asuka didn't seem to want any more than this. It wasn't even a deep kiss, but something tender shared between them while laying beside each other.

"I feel better now," said Asuka after several moments passed.

Shinji didn't say anything, but slowly placed his arms around Asuka's shoulder, drawing her close to him. He felt elated for some reason, but also felt sleep slowly coming to call him away.

"Hey Shinji, we should do something tomorrow to celebrate the fact that we've been together for two years now," said Asuka still trying to make conversation

"Hmm, I'll leave it up to you then," said Shinji as he closed his eyes.

"What, we're in this together. You need to help out as well."

But she didn't get a reply from him; Shinji had already fallen asleep reminding Asuka of the earlier incident. She hoped that he wouldn't be dreaming again, since she had had enough of that nonsense already.

"...lo...ve..."

Asuka's head whipped up to stare at Shinji's face, seeing his mouth open ever so slightly. She thought she heard him say something rather unbelievable, but she must have been mistaken.

'If you say something like that just as you fall asleep, how do you think it's gonna make me feel,' thought Asuka. She was surprised that her heart was beating faster just hearing that word, but it wasn't like Shinji was specifically saying it to her. He may have just been thinking about food that he loved, or a book, or-

Asuka shook her head quickly. If she started dwelling on this, she would never get to sleep.

Breaking away from Shinji, she moved to her own side of the bed, and tried to ignore his light breathing, or the mumbled word that she had heard. Try as she might, she wasn't able to ignore this however, and spent most of the remaining hours until sunrise dwelling on this word, as well as what she wanted for the future.


	29. Love

**This chapter was written/finished with lots of caffeine and written almost entirely in the last twenty-four hours. I'm tired in a nutshell. Anyways, two A/N warnings in this, bold lettering, you know the drill. I've got some stuff to say at the end, so I'll wait till then. **

* * *

><p>Though it was rare for Shinji and Asuka to go shopping together now, when they both woke up the next morning, it was decided that they needed to. Shinji drove, since just judging by the deep bags under Asuka's eyes, she didn't seem to have gotten much sleep. When Shinji asked her about this though, she refused to answer. She had seemed fine just before he had gone to sleep, so he wondered what had happened.<p>

Since the grocery store in there small town had since been depleted of groceries, they had started driving closer to Kyoto, and in particular, the city that Shinji had been to months back when he had ascended the building using his AT-field. The city was moderately large, and had multiple places to shop for groceries and other necessary items, so it would still last a while before they had to find a different place to shop.

While Shinji drove, Asuka was in her own mind, still thinking about the mumbled word that Shinji had said last night. It wasn't as if she didn't believe it to be true, but hearing it like that so suddenly wasn't something she had expected, so it had caught her off guard. She had been wondering if and when Shinji would say it himself, but so far, he hadn't done so. He had been talking about their future yesterday though, so that day may not be far off.

Letting out a low sigh, Asuka watched the scenery flash by while she looked out the window.

She had been with Shinji for what felt like an eternity, but it had really been a very short time when compared to the length of their lives. In these two years though, she had grown to share equal affection for him as he held for her, and maybe more so. If not, she wouldn't be willing to give her body to him.

Before this shared existence, the only thing Asuka had known was being an Evangelion pilot. This was her world, her everything, and what she had chosen to do with her life. With the realization that all of this had been for naught, she had lost her place in the world, unsure what to do with herself. She had let go of that eventually, and fully embraced what she had with Shinji. If not for him, she was unsure what she would be doing, or if she'd even be alive. What if it had just been her that had woken up, and ignoring how her legs had been, could she have continued to live? Would she have even wanted to?

Sadly, Asuka didn't think so. As much as she had secluded herself off from everybody else prior to her meeting Shinji, she wasn't so naive to believe she didn't need to communicate with other humans. She may have hated those that praised her while hiding their jealously, but it kept her going, as much as she hated to admit it. Asuka continued to exist on her pride and superiority while enjoying the praise that people showered on her, but Shinji hadn't known her then.

When Shinji had met her, it was easy to describe their relationship as lukewarm, and Asuka wondered whether Shinji loathed her then. She verbally abused him, hit him, and did everything that would warrant hate towards her. But she had always been like this, and couldn't change her personality with the flip of a switch. Despite this, Shinji still put up her, taking all her abuse and rarely rebuked her. He didn't care whether she was one of the few chosen to be Evangelion pilots, or that she had been top of her class at her university. None of this mattered to him, and so he treated her just like any human girl.

Everything that Asuka had once known, or aspired to do was blown away when she woke up in this world, but Shinji was the one that kept pushing them forward. He did everything for her, every selfish demand that had ever come out of her mouth, he listened to. Whether Shinji knew it or not, Asuka was glad that Shinji had treated her normally.

Throughout the past two years, Asuka has slowly warmed up to him as the two journeyed from Tokyo-3 to Tokyo-2. Many times, Asuka had wondered what the faint feeling she got in her chest when she looked at Shinji was, but she had never experienced it before, so didn't know what it was. She began to realize what it was during the first winter they spent together, and had slowly come to accept it, strange as it was. She still wasn't sure we're it had started, or what had caused these feelings to manifest, but she was no longer going to ignore it.

"So I as well," mumbled Asuka almost inaudibly.

"You say something?" asked Shinji.

"No, just focus on driving," replied Asuka, her eyes still watching the scenery outside.

Shinji glanced sideways at her, but didn't say anything. She had been preoccupied all morning, and Shinji assumed that it was what had kept her up all night. He wondered what it was, but had a feeling she wouldn't say anything and tell him he was imagining things. Shinji thought back to last night, but couldn't remember anything that had happened that would make her act like this.

Shrugging his shoulders, he continued driving as the crosses the overpass, and entered the city.

* * *

><p>Since Shinji was with her this time, Asuka let him do the bulk of the shopping while she wandered the isles. The store was much larger than the grocery store they had back in their town, and it doubled as a department store as well, complete with clothes, electronics, garden supplies, and a small selection of furniture. Asuka browsed around the garden supplies for a while. She still would like her own garden at some point, and they had plenty of room at their house, but next year would have to wait.<p>

She had long lost Shinji in the sea of isles and now wandered over to the clothing department. She had already been through the clothes here so many times she had lost count, and had already grabbed anything she remotely thought she would wear, but it helped to waste time at least. As far as underwear went, most of her collection was simple white, with the occasional red piece here or there since it matched her hair well, but she was eyeing a black pair currently. She wondered how Shinji would like it, more so than how it would look on her. But, black really wasn't her thing, so she left it alone.

Growing bored, she decided to find Shinji and began walking along the ends of the isles, peaking down them in search of him. As she passed a certain isle though and didn't see him, she did a quick double take as her eyes swirled up to the signboard hanging above the isle. Pausing, she glanced at a certain word before slowly walking down the isle. It had suddenly struck her, and while she felt sorta awkward looking for such a thing, she was curiously nonetheless. She didn't have much knowledge on the subject, but kinda knew what she was looking for.

Her eyes passed over the many boxed items laying on the shelf, when she suddenly glanced at a certain box, and then frowned slightly. Picking the box up at random, she glanced at the image on the front along with the words, and then turned it over. Was this what she was looking for? Asuka thought so, but she wasn't one hundred percent certain. Opening it up however, she found several oddly wrapped items which she could only assume the purpose of. Feeling even more awkward at that thought, she grabbed a handful of them, and stuffed them into her pocket. Maybe she was being overly cautious, but she really didn't want an accident occurring.

With this done, she began checking the isles again, aware that the item in her pocket was weighing her down mentally. She tried not to think about it, but was aware of a certain feeling she was beginning to have in the pit of her stomach.

She heard Shinji before she saw him, and he was mumbling something to himself. As she rounded the corner, she saw him kneeling beside a shelf and examining two canned items, trying to decide what he wanted. He was much more meticulous then her when shopping, and Asuka always just went with whatever the norm was, but Shinji still liked to experiment a bit in what he could cook on their grill.

Asuka watched him for a while as she stood at the end of the isle. Shinji was so preoccupied that he didn't notice her at first. When he finally made his decision, and stood up, he glanced down the isle and saw her standing there.

"Asuka? How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," she replied. She hoped her voice sounded normal, but she still felt an odd sensation in her stomach.

Shinji eyed her for a second, confused at her peculiar behavior, but shrugged it off. Dumping the canned food in the cart, he walked down the isle away from Asuka, his eyes passing over the many canned goods on the shelf. He thought about cooking a rather extravagant dinner tonight, considering it had been around two years since they had both met each other.

Pausing again in the isle, he focused on another shelf. While Shinji continuing pouring over the labels, he didn't notice that Asuka was slowly approaching him. Her face was flushed red as she pondered over multiple things. Her entire body was burning up, and only one thing would remedy this feeling.

Finally hearing her approaching footsteps, Shinji turned to look at her, slightly startled by the expression she had.

"Asuka?" he wondered as he slowly stood up.

Shinji didn't get a verbal reply from her, but Asuka surged forward pressing her lips violently against his, kissing him deeply. Shinji was caught of guard by her suddenness, and he backed up a step, but collided against one of the metal shelves on the isle. Cans began spilling onto the ground with his back pressed against the shelf, but Asuka didn't care about this, continuing to kiss him.

She pressed her body against his, her tongue forcefully entering his mouth. It wasn't unheard of them to kiss each other quickly while shopping, but they had never done this before. Shinji honestly wasn't ready for this, and would have rather just gotten the shopping done and gone home, but Asuka had other plans.

Her hands starting fumbling at the hem of his shirt, trying to take it off, but Shinji restrained her. Not giving up however, her right hand instead found its way to his jeans, pressing against his groin. Against his own wishes, Shinji felt himself start to grow hard as Asuka's hand began massaging the slight bulge that had appeared.

Still, this wasn't the time or place for this, and Shinji drew back from Asuka's lips suddenly to speak his mind.

"Asuka, let's not do this here."

"Why not? It's not like anyone is going to interrupt us."

"Even so," started Shinji, but he lost his voice as Asuka's hand continued stroking him.

"You need to be more honest," she grinned mischievously.

Her right hand continued pressing against his erection, and she began kissing him again. Shinji wanted to refuse her, but his mind was slowly slipping away. Finally, he kissed her back, entwining his tongue with hers, and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer to him. He

didn't know what had brought this on, but it was clear that Asuka was excited. Even through both her shirt and bra, he could feel her nipples digging into his chest. He very much wanted to remove her top, but something held him back. He still didn't feel this was right to do in a store.

Asuka had the complete opposite opinion on this though. No matter where or when, she wanted Shinji. It didn't matter whether it was in their house, car, this store, the hot springs, or some location they hadn't discovered. The where didn't matter, and the when was nearly at any given moment. All that mattered was that she had Shinji.

As she started to grow more aroused, her hand slid up inside Shinji's shirt, her hands gliding across her chest, and pinching his nipples. Shinji held back the groan that bubbled up his throat, but Asuka's right hand found new vigor as it danced around his erection, forcing it out. Both were panting now, and Asuka could feel a sweet moistness seeping between her legs. She was nearing her limit, and her mind quickly flashed to what she had in her pocket, but Shinji had reached his limit.

Grasping her shoulders, he gently pushed her away. He was frowning, but wasn't angry at her, just confused why she had tried to do this right here.

"What?" asked Asuka, slightly abrasive.

"Sorry, I still don't feel this is the proper place."

"What does it matter?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm being dumb, but I prefer doing this in our own house."

"You're right, that is dumb," said Asuka.

They were silent for a moment, still holding each other while their faces were mere inches apart. Asuka broke free though, knowing that Shinji wasn't going to budge on this. She didn't agree with this, and the feeling deep inside of her hadn't disappeared yet.

"Fine, have it your way," sighed Asuka as she stepped away from him.

Shinji watched her suddenly become preoccupied with something on the shelf opposite where they had just been kissing. Truthfully, he didn't want to stop, and he bulge in his pants wasn't going down anytime soon, especially with his eyes wavering to Asuka's butt. Trying to suppress his desires, he refocused his attention on the canned food, ignoring the slight humming coming from Asuka behind him.

When Shinji was finally satisfied with the amount of food he had stacked in the cart, he went to look for Asuka who had disappeared again. He found her sitting in the middle of an isle, a stack of books placed on either side of her. She seemed to be going through the few books they had scoured in the store, trying to decided which to read next. Most of them seemed pretty bad just judging from the cover, but they had exhausted most reading material that they could find in the first place.

"Ready to go?" asked Shinji.

"More or less," answered Asuka, not bothering to put the books back that she had taken off the shelf. She hadn't found anything that she wanted it seemed, but Shinji had somewhat expected this.

Pushing the shopping cart through the store, they exited through the busted automatic doors courtesy of Shinji's AT-field. Loading everything into the back of the the truck and securing everything in place, Shinji threw a blue tarp over the canned goods that he usually used to keep the firewood dry in case it rained.

Jumping into the cab, he started the truck, and then turned to Asuka, about to ask her if she was set. She wasn't looking at him though, her eyes staring down at the floor mats instead. She hadn't bothered to put on her seatbelt yet either, and Shinji was about to ask her if there was a problem when she turned to him. Shinji knew the expression on her face, since it was one he had seen very recently in the store before she had kissed him.

He had expected it, but when Asuka slowly started crawling across the seat towards him in a seductive manner, Shinji felt himself quickly grow aroused again. He moved himself so that his back was against the door, and when Asuka neared him she quickly turned off the truck before sliding onto his lap. Sitting up fully, her head almost brushed the top of the truck, while her long hair was draped behind her, spilling onto Shinji's legs. She paused however before doing anything, and looked at Shinji's questionably.

"Is this alright?" she asked, referring to his reluctance to do this in the store. Shinji didn't need even a second to respond to this.

"It is," he quickly said.

Getting his acceptance, Asuka leaned herself forward, pressing her lips against his. They kissed deeply, their bodies presses against one another, with Shinji's back pressing roughly against the driver door. His hands snaked around her back, running them through her long hair, enjoying the way it parted for him. Their tongues found each other, and quickly started dancing with each other as they exchanged saliva.

**(A/N: Sexual acts, no actual intercourse, look for next bold lettering for summary...and this is a long one.)**

Asuka had waited long enough however, and wasn't going to settle for 'no' this time, even if Shinji pleaded with her. Drawing back from the kiss, she grasped the hem of her shirt, and pulled it over her head in one fluid motion, chucking it behind her where it collided with the door and fell onto the floor behind her. Sitting on Shinji's lap, she gazed down at him, watching as his eyes stared at her breasts hidden by her bra. No matter how often this happened, Asuka was glad that Shinji never got tired of this sight.

Falling back into his arms, they continued kissing, while Shinji's hands started tracing patterns along her back with his nails. She started squirming, but didn't mind this in the least. The spot between her legs started to become moist, and her body started sweating. She felt like she had a fever as she kissed Shinji. The car started fogging up as they continued with their passion, but neither were aware of this.

Having reached his own limit of suppression, Shinji quickly undid the clasp of Asuka's bra, something which he had quickly gotten good at. With the clasp undone from her back, Asuka sat up, letting her breasts easily sway freely. While she sat on his lap, Shinji removed his own shirt, and threw it to the floorboard beside him. They embraced again, as skin touched skin, and Shinji was surprised at how hot Asuka's body was.

They kissed sweetly then, enthralled in each other's affection. Shinji never wanted this to end, but knew this could never be true. There was always a cut off point, or at least until they reached their respective climaxes.

Asuka slowly started moving her hips, pressing against Shinji's erection, and he in turn started to move as well. They kissed more deeply, forgetting the fact they were in a truck, imagining that they were back home on their couch, or bed. Shinji's thing was pressing uncomfortably against his jeans, but he wasn't sure whether to remove them or not. Asuka seemed fine with things as they were currently, and was even smiling slightly. She was enjoying herself immensely, relieved that they were doing this. The thought of going home was so far from her mind that all she cared about was this moment.

Shinji broke off the kiss though; his eyes had been traveling down to his chest where Asuka's breasts were resting for a while. Understanding his desire, Asuka removed herself from his chest, and arched her body above his so that her head was pressing against the window of the door. Her breasts were now fully in Shinji's face and he stared at them for several seconds before his lips latched onto one of her erect nipples, sucking on it as if he were a baby.

Asuka couldn't help but let out a low cry, her body surging with electricity. She couldn't contain the feeling she was having, and felt something welling up between her legs, ready to burst at any moment. But after two months of this, Asuka was also more resilient to Shinji's advances. While her body squirmed with pleasure, Shinji continued sucking on her breasts, hardly noticing the moans that were escaping her mouth.

Shinji didn't think he'd ever get tired of this for as long as he lives. His tongue swirled around her nipple, rolling it around in his mouth, savoring the taste of her soft flesh. He alternated between her breasts, moving his mouth from one to the other. His mind was in a haze, lost as he continued exploring her body.

He could no longer ignore the uncomfortable feeling in his pants however, and placed his hands on Asuka's hips, moving her away from him slightly. Asuka glanced at him briefly, before her eyes traveled down to his waist. She understood what he wanted, and so drew back slightly to the end of the truck. Quickly, Shinji unbuttoned his pants and dropped them on the floor beside him. Unknown to him, Asuka was doing the same, and they were soon in nothing but their underwear.

Shinji stared at Asuka well formed body hungrily, and before Asuka could make a move, Shinji was already across the cab, pressing Asuka against the door as his lips found hers. Their bodies pressed against one another, their tongues entwined, and Shinji placed one hand over Asuka's breast, pinching her nipple. Asuka moaned, her voice echoing in Shinji's mouth as they kissed, and her hand quickly found the bulge pressing against his boxers. She could feel the heat through the thin fabric, and thought that it might pop out at any second. She didn't thinking her heart couldn't handle that if it did.

They played with each other's bodies, exploring nearly every inch until both of them were dripping in sweat. For Asuka though, she wasn't satisfied with this any longer. The spot between her legs was throbbing painfully, something which she wanted to correct. She had grown accustomed to relieving Shinji in her own way, but he hadn't done the same yet.

Drawing back from him, Shinji glanced back quizzically at her, wondering why she had stopped kissing him. Asuka had a slight blush on her face, something which Shinji thought they had been passed at this point, considering what they had grown accustomed to. Asuka was biting her lips slightly, but she seemed to be set on something. Wrapping her arms around him slowly, she placed her head against his shoulder and then whispered into his ear.

"Hey, I want you to do something for me."

Shinji eyes swiveled to the side, trying to focus on Asuka's face, but he couldn't see her properly.

"What is it?" asked Shinji slowly.

Asuka didn't reply, but a smile appeared on her lips. With one arm still around Shinji's back, she took her other hand and placed it over his own, entwining her hand with his. Leaning away from him, she took his hand and placed it between her breasts. Shinji didn't understand this gesture since he had just had his hands over her breasts, but then she started guiding his hand down her chest, passing over her navel, and just stopping at her underwear. It slowly dawned on Shinji what she wanted, and even though Asuka wanted this, Shinji still asked for her confirmation.

"Asuka, is this...?"

She didn't reply, but simply nodded at him, her blue eyes staring into his brown ones. If she was okay with this, then so was Shinji. Sliding his hand out of her own, Shinji's hand slowly traveled over her underwear, and when his hand brushed over her spot, Asuka inhaled sharply.

This was a first for him, so Shinji wasn't exactly sure what he should be doing, but he understood the basics at least. When it came down to it, it wasn't all that different to what Asuka had been doing to him. He began running his hand over the spot between her legs, gliding over it. He knew that Asuka was excited, but it didn't prepare him for how moist her underwear was, and he could see there was a faint stain thanks to this moistness. His eyes flickered up the Asuka, making sure that she was still okay with this, but judging by her expression, she was wholly lost in her own pleasure.

Becoming more daring, he starting gently running his index finger over it. Even with the small amount of pressure he was exerting in his finger, he could still feel Asuka's soft flesh parting as his finger passed back and forth over her slit. He was amused though by Asuka's expressions that were wildly changing on her face. She was holding herself back as much as possible, but it was clear that this was far too stimulating.

Beginning to apply more pressure, Shinji finger sank into her flesh, parting it easily. He starting going slowly, and then suddenly faster, alternating between gentle, and more rough. The moistness that was seeping between her legs had now turned Shinji's finger wet as well, but this only served to turn him on further. He was growing more aroused, his erection pressing against his boxers. He was strongly aware of how close they were to committing the act, and if Asuka gave her okay, Shinji probably wouldn't have given it a second thought. Right now, he didn't care whether they were doing this in a truck or not. Truthfully, he wanted to pull Asuka's underwear off and see her fully naked body, but he held himself back. This was enough for now.

Meanwhile, Asuka's expectations had been completely betrayed, but not in a bad way. She had done this by herself multiple times when the mood struck her, but having Shinji do it was like nothing she had ever expected. Her entire body felt like it was melting, starting from where he was touching her and traveling all along her body. She jerked, twitched, jolted, and squirmed her body at every movement that he was making. She was close, she knew, but just a little more and-

Asuka suddenly screamed, her voice bouncing all around the cab, as her body gave a mighty jolt. Her mind had long since been lost in pleasure, but Shinji had suddenly inserted his finger, pushing the cotton and flesh aside as his finger entered her. This has been far to sudden, and Asuka glanced down somewhat annoyed at Shinji, who looked like he was thinking of apologizing. She hadn't expected it, so it had come as a shock, but Asuka wasn't about to tell him to stop, not now.

Since she hadn't reprimanded him, Shinji took this to mean it was okay to keep going. It was impossible to compare the two instances of rubbing his finger against her spot, and actually placing his finger inside her; the later was far more incredible. Even though his finger was pressing against her flesh through the cotton, he could still feel everything. The warmth, moistness, and softness was far beyond what Shinji had imagined, and his finger was throughly soaked now.

Slowly he started moving, exploring Asuka's depths. He only had one finger inserted, but judging be the change in Asuka's expression, this didn't matter. Quickly though, Shinji began to notice something. Whenever Asuka moved her body in any sort of fashion, or tensed up, her flesh would wrap around his finger, smothering it. Just as he had done earlier, he started alternating his pace, going slow, and then fast. He was enjoying watching the expressions of ecstasy appear on Asuka's face.

He changed tactics though as a sudden thought sprang to mind. While he continued focusing on the spot between her legs, his other hand found her breast, cupping it gently, and then started to pinch her pink nipple. Asuka let out another scream at this two way assault, her body writhing in pleasure. Shinji felt her body squeeze him, and knew that she was about there.

Finally, he pressed his forefinger against the spot between her legs, slowly inserting it where it met his index finger. Coupled with this, and the pinching of her nipples, Asuka's body tensed wildly, clamping down on his fingers as she screamed, reaching her climax. As this happened however, Shinji quickly leaned up to her, pressing his lips roughly against hers, silencing the shrill scream that has escaped her lips. Though she had just climaxed, she ravenously kissed him back, melting in his lips.

Shinji drew his fingers out from inside her, and began leaning back, but Asuka had throughly had enough, and pushed him backwards, falling on top of him in exhaustion. They laid there for several minutes, Asuka slowly calming herself down, while Shinji did his best as well. He was still rigid, but didn't think that Asuka would be up for getting him off after what had just happened.

**(Ends here. All the usual things of course, but this time Asuka asks Shinji to finger her, which he does, though its through her underwear.)**

"Asuka, is it all right if I get up. I just noticed that the car has entirely fogged up."

Asuka groaned, seeming to not want this, but she glanced around at the windows and windshield, seeing that he was right. Slowly lifting herself of him, she started gathering up her clothes and dressed herself. Shinji started the car and rolled down the windows before dressing as well. Not only the windows, but the truck itself needed to air out a bit.

They sat in their respective seats, the defroster going as the fog slowly subsided. Shinji didn't know how much time had passed, and he just remembered why they were even here in the first place. He had completely forgotten about the shopping they had finished a little while ago.

Glancing over at Asuka, it was clear that she was thinking to herself. She had calmed down now, but the situation felt a little strange. Shinji wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to her. It was obvious that she had enjoyed herself, though Shinji felt like he should say something.

"Umm...Asuka?"

"Hmm?"

"I...well..."

Asuka glanced over at him, wondering what he was thinking about saying. Those three words popped into her mind for a moment, but Shinji had missed that opportunity to speak them a while ago. It wouldn't work right now if he said it. Instead, Asuka felt at the very least that she should apologize for being the only one to enjoy herself.

"Sorry, I probably should have taken your thoughts into consideration, but I lost my sense of reason."

"No, you don't have to apologize Asuka. It...felt good for me too, so-"

Asuka couldn't help but feel embarrassed slightly at his statement. It had only been his fingers, but he had driven her far beyond anything she had experienced before. If he had enjoyed it as well, then Asuka felt a little better about it.

"I suppose we should head home now," said Shinji.

"Agreed," muttered Asuka.

Without any further words, Shinji put the truck in gear, and drove out of the parking lot. They were on there way home.

* * *

><p>After packing away all the groceries, Shinji brewed some fresh coffee for them, though more for Asuka's benefit. Since she had slept fitfully last night, and coupled with what had happened in the truck, her conscious was wavering. She had nearly dropped several plastic bags filled with cans while they were bringing them inside, and Shinji eventually told her that he could deal with the rest. He suggested that she take a nap, since it was still a long way until he'd even consider cooking dinner, but she said she would force herself to stay awake for the rest of the day.<p>

They sat together on the couch, leaning against one another, though even with her coffee cup emptied beside her, Asuka was still nodding off. Just being beside Shinji like this made her feel at peace, and multiple times he had to nudge her gently to be sure she didn't fall asleep. She snuggled against him, relaxed in the warmth shared between them. How easy it would be for her to fall asleep right now...

"Asuka? Hey?"

"Hmm, sorry," she mumbled beside him. "I'm really not sure if I can make it honestly."

"If you're this tired, you should just go take a nap."

"No, don't want to," she replied sleepily.

Shinji frowned at her, wondering why was was being so stubborn.

"Sorry, I just want to stay beside you right now. I don't even truthfully know why even but..."

'What am I saying,' thought Asuka. Shaking her head slowly, she tried ignoring these sudden thoughts, and asked Shinji something else instead.

"Did you plan on practicing again today?"

"Well, I'd considered it, but I don't have to. Besides, you said you wanted to stay with me, so-"

"It's fine. You can go."

"If I leave though, you'll just fall asleep...unless you're okay with that."

"That's why I'm going as well."

Shinji let that sink in for several seconds, thinking he had misheard. Asuka had known long ago about the extra time spent in the woods after cutting down trees, but even after all this time, she still hadn't gone out there with him. They had their own schedule for doing things, so it had almost never come up, but Asuka was now wanting to go. Shinji wasn't sure whether he wanted her to honestly. He had no idea what he looked like when he was so focused on his AT-field, and was a little afraid what her reaction would be.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Shinji.

"Well, I've never been out there in the first place, and I have a better chance staying awake there then here certainly. Plus, like I said, I want to be beside you right now."

Asuka glanced up at him, seeing the slightly worried expression on his face. Letting out a low sigh, she said, "If you're worried about me thinking you strange, you should know better by now. You should have more faith in yourself Shinji. I trust you afterall."

"If you insist..."

"I do," said Asuka as she stood up. Going upstairs, she grabbed something warmer than what she was currently wearing, and came back downstairs shortly later. She was wearing a navy blue sweatshirt now along with the same color jeans. Shinji stared at her for several seconds, sudden thoughts assaulting his mind, but he pushed those away. Now wasn't the time to be participating in those things.

"I'm ready whenever you are," said Asuka.

"Right," said Shinji as he nodded at her.

Shinji drove again since Asuka was still tired, and she spent the ride leaning against Shinji with her eyes closed, resting slightly. When he eventually turned right onto the makeshift path he had created through the tree line though, Asuka opened her eyes. She had heard multiple times about Shinji's exploration out here, but seeing what he had done after a year and a half was still surprising.

The truck bounced and wove around stumps as Shinji drove slowly through the path. He was going slower than he normally did since Asuka was with him this time, and her head was darting from one window to the other. Multiple other paths began moving off in other directions as they continued driving through the forest which Shinji had created. Soon though, they broke into a large cleared out area, one of the first that he had started, and the stumps of fallen trees stretched on for many thousands of feet.

They didn't stop here, but kept driving further onward, starting to snake there way west. Smaller clearings passed by them, some of which Shinji had used particularly for practicing. Asuka had never thought much about the amount of firewood they had used across the time spent here, but she was surprised at how many trees Shinji had felled. Of course, not all of them were for firewood either, and here and there were some that he had cut down while practicing, the wood slowly rotting away through the seasons.

Shinji seemed to have a particular spot in mind, one of the recent places he had started working on it seemed. The path they were driving on became more narrow, the trees tightly knit together. Eventually, the broke out into a small clearing that was only around one hundred and fifty feet wide in a circle. Parking the car near the edge of the clearing, Shinji got out, and then Asuka slid out the driver side door as well. There were clouds in the sky, but it didn't look like they contained any rain, and the air was moderately warm.

"So this is where you've been practicing lately?"

"Yeah, it's a newer spot, so I figured I'd bring you here."

Walking around to the back of the truck, Shinji let the tailgate fall down so Asuka could sit there and watch while he practice. She climbed up and sat with her legs swinging over the side, and Shinji decided to sit beside her a little while. He assumed that Asuka probably had questions, and predictably, she asked him something which he had expected.

"Can you ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You've been doing this for a long while now, so what spurred this on? You never were comfortable with your abilities before, but you are a lot more accepting of them now. What changed?"

Shinji didn't immediately reply to her, his gaze wandering up to the clouds above his head.

"The short version is I just accepted who I am I guess. For whatever reason, I have this ability, and I can't do anything to change it, and nor can I ignore it. Back in Tokyo-2, I initially only practiced so I could learn to control it for fear of harming you, but when we arrived here, I decided that that wasn't enough. There was still so much that I didn't know, and I would be lying if I wasn't curious how far I could go with it, but their was one thing that I was aiming for."

Sliding off the tailgate, Shinji walked several feet away from Asuka, and then turned towards her.

"Asuka, you've seem me using my AT-field a handful of times by now, but is their anything that ever stood out to you?"

"You mean like the obvious fact that you can use one?" asked Asuka with a slight smile.

Shinji chuckled lightly at that, but then said, "Well, not quite what I meant, but I guess it'd be better to just show you."

Taking a stance, Shinji projected his AT-field above him, sending it soaring up into the sky. Asuka watched this, but still she didn't understand what he was trying to say. When he dissipated it and turned to her however, he asked-

"So, from that, was there anything that stood out to you?"

"...Not really. It was just the same as always, at least, thats the way it seemed to me. You just threw your arm out and projected it like you've always done."

"So you don't even realize it yourself even though you just mentioned it."

"I...huh?" asked Asuka confused.

"My arm," said Shinji simply. "In order to use my AT-field, I've always had to thrust my right arm out as if I'm actually throwing my AT-field like a baseball."

"Is this a problem?"

"Maybe, maybe not," shrugged Shinji. "But, there is something I realized. Everything depends on myself recognizing a situation where I have to use my AT-field, and then acting on that, which requires the use of my right arm. My reaction speed is already well above that of a normal humans, but there is still that one to two second window that requires my ability to react. I then began wondering if I can eliminate this requirement all together, and begin using my AT-field subconsciously. So far, I haven't had much luck, though I have improved my control substantially."

"...Why though?" asked Asuka suddenly. "Why go to all this trouble? It may not even be possible."

"Like I said, curiosity on my own part...but more so because I don't want the slightest possibility that something could happen to you. You're far too important to me Asuka, and I wont allow the slightest chance that something bad could happen to you because I wasn't doing my utmost to understand my own abilities."

"...Shinji..." mumbled Asuka.

It always came back to her didn't, thought Asuka. No matter what happened, Shinji was always there for her. It just showed how much he cared for her.

"Well, like I said," muttered Shinji, scratching the back of his head, "I haven't had much success in this, and I've only recently started practicing again since last night."

"Shinji, I-"

"You don't have to say anything. It was my own decision anyway, and I've steadily grown to appreciate my AT-field more."

Asuka didn't say anything. She had a feeling in the depths of her stomach, wholly unlike the one she had had at the grocery store earlier in the day. This feeling was filling her up slowly, enveloping her heart, warmth spreading to every corner of her body. This boy, no: it wasn't right to consider him a boy anymore; this young man cared about her so much. Asuka had never known that she could be cared for like this, to take all possibilities into mind and protect her. Maybe this is what she always wanted; for somebody to care for her, to protect her, to comfort her when she was sad. She had lacked this warmth for all her life until she had found it within Shinji.

Truthfully, from the bottom of his heart, Shinji cared for, and loved her.

And Asuka fully accepted that love, for it was something that she shared as well.

"Asuka, you okay?" asked Shinji, wondering why she hadn't said anything for several seconds.

"...Yeah, sorry," mumbled Asuka, wiping her eyes. She hadn't realized it, but she had steadily started crying silently. Shinji noticed the pearly white tears glistening on her cheeks, but he didn't comment on this. He hadn't expected his words to affect her so strongly, but they were the truth.

"Well, I suppose I'll start practicing then, if thats alright with you."

"Yeah, it is...and Shinji?"

"...Yes?"

"I...I want to ask you something else once your finished."

"You can ask me now if you want."

"No, it wouldn't be right to do so right now. It would only distract you."

Shinji puzzled over this for several seconds, wondering what on earth she could ask that could distract him so badly.

"If you say so...well, I probably wont take very long anyway. I'm just getting back into the groove of things right now."

Asuka nodded, and watched as Shinji turned away from her, walking far enough away until he was standing near the center of the clearing. Her face turned slightly red as she watched him, her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to hear it, to get a clear answer from him. She didn't care how hesitant he would be, or how nervous he would get. She wanted to clearly hear it from his own lips, but she herself had to find her own resolve as well, since she knew it couldn't be a one sided thing.

She leaned against the side of the truck, watching Shinji through half closed eyes. Even though she was sitting upright, she was dozing off. She had to admit though, that there was something rather incredible about Shinji as she watched him go through what seemed familiar motions. She had never seem him using his AT-field so openly before, and when he started ascending into the air, she felt her mouth open slightly in surprise. For all his apparent disappointment about not being able to use it unconsciously, Asuka thought that he seemed able to control it easily.

Even though this was the first time Asuka was watching him, Shinji had tuned everything out except for his own thought process. He thought that he would be nervous with her watching him, but he felt oddly relaxed. He slipped into a familiar process, falling into motions which he had tried and perfected. He was soon high in the sky, looking down into the clearing, Asuka little more than a dot with her vivid red hair. Shinji felt himself smiling slightly as he looked down at her.

Refocusing himself, he projected his AT-field time and time again as he slowly made his way back to the ground. As he landed, he immediately projected his AT-field into a dome, covering himself in a wide field. It was a simple thing to alter his AT-field now from one thing to another without dissipating it, and he quickly changed from the dome to the simple wall. It was easy to alternate his AT-field now.

Asuka continued watching him, marveling at his speed. Just judging by his physical body, Shinji didn't seem all that strong, but Asuka knew that he held himself back unconsciously. While in Tokyo-2, he had struggled with this, but had come to gripes with his own power and had learned to control it, but Asuka wondered how strong Shinji actually was. Could he shattered a rock just by exerting enough force through his fists? He had broken plates by accident before just by holding them, but rock and ceramic were very different materials afterall. Asuka forgot how strong Shinji was sometimes, especially considering how gentle he was towards her.

As time wore on, and Shinji continued to practice, Asuka slowly felt her consciousness start to fade, and within the span of a few minutes, completely fell asleep leaning against the truck. Shinji noticed this, but paid it very little heed. He would continue practicing for a while until calling in quits. This he did, spending about another half an hour practicing until he felt he had done enough.

Letting his AT-field vanish, he walked back to the truck, stopping when he stood in front of Asuka. She was sleeping peacefully, and Shinji didn't want to wake her just yet, so he carefully hopped onto the tailgate, and sat beside her.

Shinji began thinking about things as he looked up to the sky, remembering his dream from yesterday. The future was a mystery, but no matter what happened, he wanted Asuka to be there beside him. Without her, he would have sunken into a depression of misery and anger thanks to his other self, but she had saved him from that. She never questioned his humanity, who he was, or whether he should even exist on this earth. Nobody had ever cared for him before, and he had spent his life prior to this being shuffled around like a piece of baggage. Asuka had turned all that aside with her actions and words.

Shinji had never understood what love was, and even now, he had difficulty grasping the concept, but if just being around somebody you cared for made you happy, perhaps that was enough. Even just thinking about her brought a warm feeling to his heart. It was a long while coming, but it sometimes felt like it was always meant to happen for some reason, as illogical as that sounded.

"Sometimes I even wonder how I came to love her," mumbled Shinji to himself. He didn't know where or when it had happened, but somewhere along the way, he had grown attached to her. Well, maybe that was another strange thing about love, but Shinji wasn't sure.

"Guess I should wake her. The sun is starting to set I think," he sighed, and turned towards her.

He turned towards her, but received a shock in seeing that she was awake, her eyes staring unwavering back at him, any sign of sleepiness driven from her.

"...Asuka...um..."

She quickly looked away from him, her face briefly turning pink. Shinji swore within his mind, cursing himself for being so lax in assuming she was asleep. He was both thinking and speaking his mind while hardly even thinking that Asuka might hear him, but what's done is done.

"...Asuka?"

She didn't say anything, but jumped off the tailgate, marching around the side of the truck before yanking the door open, and then slamming it suddenly. Shinji continued sitting there, as it slowly sank in what had just happened.

"Guess I fucked up," he muttered angrily to himself.

* * *

><p>The drive back was uneventful and awkward. Shinji didn't even bother to ask whether Asuka had heard what he had said; her actions were enough to know that she had.<p>

When Shinji pulled into the driveway, Asuka quickly jumped out of the cab, and then hurriedly walked around the house to the sliding door, wrenching it open and disappeared upstairs before Shinji had even entered the house. Swearing at his stupidity even further, Shinji languished on the couch, rebuking himself for his words. He wasn't even sure whether Asuka was fuming mad at him, or just embarrassed. He suspected angry, and he couldn't really blame her, especially considering how she had heard it.

He tried reading a book, but kept thinking about what he had said, getting so angry at himself that he nearly threw the book into the fireplace. He knew what he had to do, but it didn't make it any easier. It was getting close to dinner, but he'd have to put that on hold for now.

Finally making his decision, he left the couch and slowly began making his way upstairs. The bedroom door was closed, and Shinji hesitate for a few seconds before he finally pushed it open. Asuka was in bed, the sheets pulled over her head, and her face pressed against the pillow. Shinji wouldn't even know she was there except for the distinct lump that signified her.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he felt her shift slightly, so at least she wasn't asleep, but whether she would actually listen to him was a different story altogether.

"...Asuka, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I shouldn't have said it like that. I was thinking about a bunch of different things, and it sorta just came out. I can understand if you're angry at me, and I don't blame you."

He didn't get a reply from her, which he didn't really expect, not yet at least, but he continued talking.

"It's hard for me to imagine that two years have gone by; it honestly feels like I just met you yesterday, but I know this isn't true, because I can recall all the memories that I have of you over these past two years. We've shared a lot, both happy, and sad things. Whenever one would be down, the other would try to console them. It's impossible to count the number of times you've helped me through difficult moments Asuka, especially when I was doubting my own existence, and whether I should have even been alive or not. I think I'd be a different person if not for you."

Placing his arms behind him, he leaned back, letting his arms supported his weight, his eyes looking up at the ceiling while he continued talking.

"...Truthfully, I don't know when I started having feelings for you," Shinji started. "Maybe it had been that very moment when I saw you lying on the beach, wondering who you were. I felt drawn to you in some sense I think, but I can't explain it. Sometimes it seems like things were meant to happen in this way, and we never actually had any say in the matter, but even if this were true, I would be happy. For a long while now, there hasn't been a day that hasn't gone by where I'm not thinking about you."

Shinji thought he heard a sharp inhale of breath come from Asuka buried under the covers, but he continued on.

"Steadily, I've begun to want you more and more with each passing day. Every time we kiss, or hold each other, it feels like a part of my brain is crumbling away. Sometimes I ask myself, 'is this right? Is this really okay to be doing this with her? Does she deserve better than me?' I still second guess myself sometimes, wondering if what I'm doing is really right, because of who I am. In the end though, my feelings for you win out. I couldn't lose you, not now, not ever. Every morning when I wake up, and see your peaceful face beside me, I can't help but feel a pain in my heart, urging me to speak my feelings. I always ignored it though, telling myself there was always a next time."

"I've said it to you before Asuka, but you're beautiful. I'll admit that when I first met you, I wasn't very sure what to make of you since you were so guarded, but as I slowly got to know you better, I gradually started to care for you more. That feeling began blossoming into something more, and very slowly, I started to believe what it was, even though I had never felt it before. It's still difficult for me to describe it, or even put into words, but the feeling I have when I'm kissing you, holding you, or just being beside you, makes me happy. If thats the truth behind this emotion, than I'm fine with that."

Glancing towards where her face was covered, Shinji began slowly crawling across the bed. He felt her body start to twitch under the covers, and thought that she might be preparing to escape the bedroom, but he was careful in covering her with his body so she couldn't do this. He pressed his body against hers now, his face nearing hers. Her hands were holding the sheets over her head, but Shinji placed his own hands over hers, and then gently removed them from the corners of the sheet, moving it away.

He was now looking into Asuka's eyes, face to face with her. Her face was dyed crimson, something which he hadn't expected, but he wasn't about to stop. He needed to right the wrong he had committed earlier.

He stared at her for several seconds, watching her eyes closely. They were wavering, and Shinji thought he saw a slight wetness on her cheek. He wasn't sure whether she had been crying because of what he had said earlier, or just a few seconds ago. Either way, he felt bad about it. He didn't want to see her crying, he wanted to see her happy and glad to be alive, to be living with him.

Slowly opening his mouth, Shinji spoke directly to her.

"Asuka...I don't think I could ever spend my life with anybody else. The feelings that steadily developed and the memories I have of our time growing together, I will forever cherish. However long we continued this shared existence, I want you to know that-"

"I love you."

With these three words spoken, Shinji pressed his lips against hers.

It was a quick kiss, over in seconds as Shinji had intended it to be, and Asuka hadn't even reacted in the first place. Her mind was still churning over what Shinji had said, and both her eyes were glazed over, not seeing him.

Shinji watched her for several seconds, his face slightly red. It had felt a bit embarrassing to say it, but it was how he felt. He loved her afterall.

When Asuka still wasn't talking, or moving for that matter, Shinji began shaking her gently.

"Asuka? Hey, you okay? Come on, this shouldn't have come as that big of a surprise, and besides, you already heard me say it before."

Slowly, her eyes finally started focusing on him. Before Shinji was able to say anything else to her though, Asuka leaned forward, pressing her lips against his strongly. She pushed him backwards onto the bed, falling on top of him. She was melting into his lips, responding to his words with her actions. She received his feelings, and then responded in turn with hers.

Pulling away from him, Asuka stared down at Shinji, her eyes focused on him.

"...Can you say it again?" she asked quietly.

It had been the first time she had spoken to him since before she had fallen asleep sitting on the tailgate of the truck, and Shinji was glad that he could hear her voice again. He responded to her wishes.

"...I love you..."

Asuka pressed her lips against his, kissing him again, entwining her tongue with his.

"Again," she said, mumbling the words as she kissed him.

"Asuka, I love you," he responded while still kissing her.

She smiled upon hearing her own name before those three words, letting the sound ring in her ear. She liked the way it sounded. Yes, Shinji loved her. How long, even he didn't know, but he loved her. Asuka felt elated as she repeated the words over and over in her mind. She felt like a young girl who had just discovered her first crush liked her as well. Asuka could no longer contain herself, her lips forming a wide smile and she beamed from ear to ear; she hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

"So you love me?" asked Asuka suddenly.

"I do," nodded Shinji.

Asuka kissed him again, and then bounded off his chest, turning away from him. She was highly emotional right not, her entire body warm from the inside out. She couldn't help but feel excited, and had difficulties not smiling. She hadn't thought that hearing him say this to her could have such a strong affect, but it did.

"So, would dinner be suitable about now?" asked Shinji, still laying on the bed.

"Hmm, it would," nodded Asuka happily, turning back towards him, a wide smile still on her lips.

Shinji was glad that she was so happy, and kissed her quickly before leaving the bedroom. They would have plenty more to talk about later, but right now they both needed to eat, and Shinji still planned on cooking a large dinner.

When he left though, Asuka remained sitting on the bed, still smiling. As time continued on though, the smile slowly began to fall, as she started thinking about herself. Shinji had spoken his feelings, and so now realistically, it was Asuka's turn. Shinji had bared everything to her though, so if he could do it, Asuka knew that she could.

It wasn't just that though. Asuka still remembered what she had grabbed at the store earlier that day, and it was beginning to weigh heavily on her mind again. What did she want? She wanted Shinji's love, but it wasn't just that. She wanted the feeling shared between two people deeply in love as they committed themselves to each other. She wanted that unique bond that was shared between a man and a woman as they made love.

'I want to know that feeling,' thought Asuka.

* * *

><p>It was almost dark out by the time Shinji finished making dinner, and he hadn't seen Asuka since he had confessed his love to her, but he was fine with this. He was sure she had her own things to set in order before she could talk, and it wasn't like they were in any rush.<p>

The candles were lit on the dining table, the food was ready, and the silverware and plates were set on the table. Feeling satisfied with the atmosphere, Shinji walked along the hardwood floor to the bottom of the staircase and then called Asuka's name.

"Hey, Asuka!? Dinner is ready!"

"Okay," he heard her reply several seconds later.

Returning to the dining room, Shinji started serving the food, and then looked up when Asuka entered. She glanced at him, giving him a nervous smile before seating herself at the table. Looking at the food, she knew that Shinji had pulled out all the stops to make this dinner a unique one. The food tasted great as usual, but Asuka couldn't help but not feel very hungry. She was distracted, her mind wandering to the bedroom where she had been for the past two hours.

"Asuka, you okay? You're hardly eating anything. Is something wrong with the food?"

"No, it tastes great as usual...sorry, I've just got other things on my mind right now."

Shinji what she likely meant, and didn't press the subject any further. However long it took Asuka, he could wait.

A short while later, Asuka left, apologizing to Shinji even though he had cooked all this food, and then returned upstairs. Shinji wondered what her mind was thinking of, or what she had been doing up there all this time, but he didn't press her.

Finishing his own dinner, he wrapped Asuka's half finished plate, and left it on the counter for now. It was possible that she would be hungry later, so he'd leave it out for now. Next he started wrapping all the surplus food he had cooked, storing it away. He had probably made too much now that he looked back on it, but he had been on cloud nine since confessing to Asuka, so you couldn't exactly blame him.

After cleaning both the dining table, kitchen, and washing the plates and dishes, Shinji blew out all the candles downstairs, and then began walking upstairs. The bedroom door was ajar, and Shinji could see the faint flicker of candlelight bouncing off the door. Pushing it open, he saw that Asuka was sitting upright in bed, her hands clasped in her lap, obviously waiting for him. All four candles that they kept in their bedroom were let, lighting up the room so that they could see even in total darkness.

Asuka looked up when Shinji entered, her eyes gazing into his, the candlelight highlighting her features. Shinji wasn't sure what this odd feeling was that he was getting, but he slowly approached her, before pressing his lips against hers, kissing her gently.

He cupped her face, kissing her tenderly, showing his love for her. He slowly pushed her down onto the bed, pressing his body against hers. They started kissing more deeply, their tongues swirling around one another, and Asuka wrapped her arms around Shinji's back. She wanted her mind calm just for right now, but found that her thoughts were starting to drift. She had to keep herself sane, at least for a while.

Shinji seemed to be doing his utmost to mess this up however, even if it wasn't intentional. His hands slowly found there way to her breasts, and he began massaging them. Asuka bit down on her lips, doing her utmost to keep her mind within reason. She had things she wanted to say, things that she needed to say, so she had to keep herself calm until then. As they continued kissing however, Asuka's reasoning slowly started slipping away, and before she wholly started drowning in this passion, she had to talk to Shinji.

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she gently pushed him away, and then sat up on the bed beside him.

"Asuka?" wondered Shinji.

"Sorry, but if we continue, I won't be able to hold back any longer, so before that, I want to talk a bit."

"...Okay," Shinji nodded.

Asuka didn't immediately start talking, her eyes watching the candlelight flickering on the dresser across from where she sat on the bed. She had so many things that were floating around that it was impossible to categorize them all. Be that as it may, she still needed to communicate her feelings to him.

"Shinji...I suppose I should first say how much I appreciated your words earlier; they meant a lot to me. Honestly, I'd been hoping to hear them for a while, and always wondered whenever we kissed if it would happen during that time. Even in the truck, I was waiting for you to tell me, but I can also imagine how difficult it was to say."

Taking a deep breath, Asuka continued.

"My life before meeting you was something I thought impossible to change. I had my pride as an Evangelion pilot, my knowledge that I was superior in all ways compared to kids my age, but where did that get me eventually? Sure, I was special, one of the few chosen that could become an Evangelion pilot, but ultimately, I was betraying myself in believing that was what I wanted. Like you Shinji, I had rough childhood. My father neglected and abused me, I lost my mother at a young age, and eventually started closing myself off to others around me. Truthfully, I just wanted somebody to care about me, but because of the walls I built up around my heart, it grew more difficult to accept others."

"When I first woke up, and saw you laying a short distance away from me, my immediate thought was, 'who the fuck is this?' I wont bother talking about what happened directly afterwards, but as the days wore on, I had to start relying on you more and more. You could have refused me, or rebuked me, but you always soldiered on, dealing with my abrasive, stubborn self. I didn't believe that another human, a boy not to mention, could care about my wellbeing without having an ulterior motive. Thats how it was at my university, so why should it be any different out in the real world?"

"Of course, you betrayed all me expectations, and while I was always snappy with you, deep down, I think I started to care about you more. You showed me a kindness that I had never experienced before in my life, awkward as you were at times, but it was endearing in an odd way. You were like me, stumbling through life, unsure about yourself, but you also had a strange stubborn willpower that I steadily grew attracted towards. You were always the one that was pushing us forward, always considering what was best for us."

"Like you, I don't know exactly when I started having feelings for you, but it steadily started growing stronger. During the winter in Tokyo-2, I came to terms with it, even if I still didn't fully understand it, but I feel like I do a little better now."

Turning towards Shinji, she slowly took her hand, and placed it in his, entwining her fingers with his, clasping his hand. She stared into his eyes, those brown eyes that loved her dearly, and felt a small smile appear on her face. Holding his hand, she brought it close to her chest, place it between her breasts at the center of her chest.

"Can you feel it?" asked Asuka as she looked at Shinji. "Can you feel the beating of my heart?"

Shinji didn't say anything, continuing to stare back at her, but Asuka didn't think he would reply. She was sure that he could feel it anyway.

"Every time I'm with you, I feel elate. My pulse quickens, my body grows hot, and my mind shuts off. Just being near you is enough to make my heart beat faster. This body that you've saved more than once, and not just in a physical sense, is not just mine, but yours as well Shinji. I want to share this with you, I want to know what it means to be connected to another human, and I want you to know how I feel."

"Shinji, you've spoken about the future recently, and I don't know what it entails, but I do know that we'll be together, and thats all that matters to me. Whatever happens, whatever hardships we may face, whatever happiness or sadness that we may share from this moment onward, I want you to know from now, until the ending of this existence that we've shared, that I'll forever and always love you."

"I love you, Shinji."

Nearing the end of this, Asuka had silently started shedding tears, and Shinji couldn't do anything except watch, waiting for her to finish speaking. When she finished talking however, he moved close to her, wrapping her arms around her, and drawing her close to him.

"I love you," Asuka repeated again, her face pressed against his collarbone, ignoring the tears that were falling on his shoulder.

"...Asuka, thank you," Shinji whispered to her.

Asuka hiccuped, but felt a small smile appear on her lips. She hadn't ever doubted it, but it still felt relieving to speak her feelings after having them bottled up for so long.

Leaning away from Shinji, she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, trying to calm herself down. When she was done, she stared back into Shinji's eyes, wondering whether she should just straight up ask him, but before she was given this opportunity, Shinji pressed his lips against hers. It seemed that he couldn't hold himself back any longer, and Asuka was happy to embrace him.

They fell into each other arms, kissing each other deeply, their love for each other spreading to each others body as their lips pressed against one another. Shinji had never known such a pleasant feeling filling his insides, knowing that Asuka loved him dearly. He was her important existence, as she was to him.

**(A/N: Sexual interaction, and intercourse. Bold lettering in next four pages around.)**

While they continued to kiss, their arousal started to heighten. Asuka could feel Shinji's thing pressing against her leg, and her own underwear was steadily growing more moist. Letting his desires take over, Shinji's hands slipped inside Asuka's shirt, cupping her breasts softly. A low moan escaped her lips before being quickly silenced by Shinji. She wanted more than this however; just having him touch her breasts was no longer enough.

Sitting up quickly, Asuka pulled her shirt over her head, and then did the same for Shinji. Wrapping their arms around each other, they held one another while Asuka sat in Shinji's lap. Asuka began moving her hips, grinding against Shinji's groin, watching the pained expressions rapidly appearing on his face. She kissed him again, pressing her lips against his, smothering him with her love. The spot between her legs was beginning to throb painfully again, and she was very close to pulling off her pants as well.

Shinji began attacking her breasts again, pushing her white bra down, revealing the soft flesh and her pink nipples. He fondled them, pinched her erect nipples, and wrapped his lips around them. Asuka cradled his head as he did this, her body shivering with pleasure. Her nipples were sensitive, and Shinji had done this enough times to know what he was doing. His tongue rolled around the protrusion, sucking on it one second, and then licking it gently. When he carefully bit down on it, Asuka's whole body gave a sudden jerk, and the spot between her legs steadily grew whetter.

Not about to let Shinji toy with her continuously like this, her hand found the button at his jeans, and she undid it with one hand. Pushing them down a little, his erection sprang up immediately, threatening to spring out of his boxers. When her hand wrapped around it, she heard Shinji give a low groan, and he suddenly stopped sucking on her breasts. Now that she had his attention, Asuka began stroking him slowly, working her hand up and down his shaft. She watched his expression, pleased that it was affecting him so. She was careful as she did this however, not wanting him to climax.

While she continued stroking him, the spot between her legs continued to throb and her underwear was thoroughly stained. She was nearing that moment, that sweet moment when they would be one. Asuka wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out, but if she continued doing this to Shinji, it wouldn't matter anyway.

Stopping what she was doing, she glanced at his face. He was panting heavily, sweat permeating his brow; it looked like she had stopped just in time. Leaning up, she kissed him gently, and then pushed him onto his back. Shinji watched her as she sat there on his lap, looking down at the thing pressing against his boxers. He was starting to get a feeling they were jumping headfirst into unknown territory. Just the sight of Asuka, the candlelight flickering off her well developed body was enough to make him want such a thing.

Slowly, Asuka began pulling his jeans of him, and then removed her own pants, and tossed her bra to the side as well. Once again, they were in nothing but their underwear.

They stared at each other for a moment, eyeing each others bodies. They had seen each other like this many times, but there was something different this time. Both of them had confessed their love for the other, so there was no longer anything holding them back. What were they waiting for?

"...Asuka?" asked Shinji quietly.

"Yes?"

"...What do you want?"

"...I want you to love me," whispered Asuka in a voice that was nearly inaudible.

Shinji stared back at her, taking her in. He knew what she wanted, but going about it still felt a bit strange. But, he would be lying if he said he didn't want to experience it either.

Sitting up, he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her quickly, before gently lowering her onto the bed, towering over her. He began kissing her body, starting at her lips, and then slowly working his way down, passing over her breasts, naval, trailing down her thighs, before ending at her feet. He knew all of her sensitive spots, and made sure to press all of them when he moved down.

There was one spot he neglected however, and as he made his may back up her body, he stopped here. Her underwear was soaked, which he had expected, but he could see the faint outline of the flesh behind the cotton. Glancing up at her face, he saw that Asuka's face was dyed red in embarrassment, apparently for how wet she was, but she didn't say anything on the subject.

Slowly, Shinji placed his finger over her spot, watching Asuka's reaction. She bit down hard on her lips, her body starting to squirm. He began gently rubbing his index finger against her, feeling the soft flesh moving as he applied a small amount of pressure. He was teasing her now, enjoying the changes in her expression, but Asuka wasn't going to let things end like this.

Forcing herself towards him, she placed her lips against his, and then pushed him down, climbing on top of him. His thing was rubbing against her spot now, and Asuka had to hold herself back, fearing that she may climax at any second. Staring down at Shinji, she smiled slightly, and then placed her hand in his. She wanted this to happen, and wasn't about to take no for an answer, but she knew that Shinji wanted this as well.

"...Shinji?"

"...Yes?"

"I...want to see everything."

"I...I as well. I want to see your everything Asuka," muttered Shinji.

Asuka smiled at his nervousness. She felt nervous herself, but she was also prepared.

Both of them turned away from each other, and slowly removed the last article of clothing they both had on. Sitting with his back to Asuka, Shinji let out a deep sigh, hardly believing this was happening. When he heard a soft voice behind him, he took this to mean it was okay to turn around. Shinji did so, and both of them stared at each others naked bodies.

The candlelight dyed both their bodies a murky yellow, allowing them to take everything in. They stared at one another, their eyes passing over each other privates. Shinji couldn't speak, too enthralled by Asuka's beauty from her well formed breasts, to her shapely hips. But it was what he saw between her legs that his eyes largely focused on. Against all odds, he grew even harder, something Asuka didn't fail to notice with her own eyes locked on his manhood. She had climaxed with just his fingers, but if he put that inside her, what would happen?

They continued staring at one another, unsure how they were supposed to progress from here. Should they embrace and kiss first, or just dive right in? While Asuka considered this, she couldn't help but chuckle slightly, catching Shinji off guard. He thought she was laughing at his size at first, but then she spoke.

"It's odd. I've thought about this several times, but it's still strange to actually be here."

"...I know what you mean," nodded Shinji slowly.

"Hey Shinji..."

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"...I love you too, Asuka."

Asuka smiled at him, and then inched closer. Shinji opened his arms, welcoming her, and then hugged her gently. They loved each other, and wanted to experience the depths of that love together. Looking up at him, Asuka kissed him slowly, and then drew back from him, crawling across the bed to her nightstand. Shinji was confused at what she was doing, but his eyes quickly locked onto her butt, so his mind kinda shut off for a second, and he didn't notice her open the drawer, pulling something out.

When she came back to him, it took her several seconds of shaking him until his mind turned back on, and he saw that she was holding something in her.

"Put this on...you should probably understand what it's for. The possibility exists for me...and I'd rather we not have an accident."

Shinji hadn't even considered this, but now that Asuka said it, he was reminded of what they were truly doing. He was glad that she had the foresight to grab this, since he hadn't even thought about that possibility until this moment.

When it was on, he stared back at Asuka inches away from him. She nodded once at him, and then slowly laid herself down on the bed. Shinji crawled over to her, placing his body parallel with hers. Glancing at her face, he didn't see any second thoughts appear there, only a certain determination. Letting out a sigh to relax himself, he grasped his manhood, and slowly entered her, parting her soft flesh.

Almost immediately, Asuka clawed at his back so forcefully that she drew blood, and her teeth sank into his shoulder, crying out. Shinji immediately thought that he had done something wrong, but then he heard a pained reply from Asuka.

"No...it's not your fault. This is just the first time is, though I didn't expect it to be this painful."

"...Do you want me to stop?"

"No, I want this. Just...go slow."

Shinji wasn't sure about this since he didn't want to cause Asuka any pain, but if she wanted this then he would oblige. Slowly, he began pushing himself in further, his body shivering with pleasure. Even with the rubber, the feeling of her flesh wrapping around him was indescribable. Shinji very nearly climaxed then, and probably would have if he hadn't built up some resistance to Asuka's advances, but it was a very close thing.

Asuka continued clawing at his back, trying to hold back the pain that she was feeling. It had been far more painful than she had expected, but Shinji was gentle and listened to her. He wasn't moving right now, but letting her become accustomed to this feeling, and letting the pain subside. Asuka wondered how Shinji was feeling right now. It was painful for her, but Shinji must certainly be feeling okay.

Slowly though, the pain began to fade away, and Asuka started to relax. Letting out a slight sigh, she kissed Shinji briefly, happy that he had waited for her. She hoped that it would no longer be painful, but even if it was, she wanted him to enjoy this at least.

"I'm better now...so you can start moving."

Shinji didn't say anything to her, but slowly started to move. What had initially been painful for Asuka, quickly turned into something different. Her entire body jerked as Shinji moved inside her, her walls contracting around his manhood. She didn't know what this feeling was, and couldn't describe it. The pleasure she had felt before couldn't even compare.

Her voice began leaking out against her will, her face filled with ecstasy. She began moving her hips as well, grinding her body against Shinji's. There movements synced up, and their lips found each other hungrily, kissing wildly as they made love. Shinji began moving faster, and Asuka soon had her legs wrapped around his waist. Every time he penetrated her, her body surged with electricity, threatening to force her to climax.

She didn't know how much longer she could take this pleasure, but she still wanted it to last a while. Pressing her hands against his chest, she pushed Shinji onto his back, forcing him outside of her. She was feeling much better now, and wanted to try something. Climbing on top of him, she rested her hips against his, grinning down seductively at him. Shinji recognized that grin, and though he didn't know why, he felt a bit fearful.

Slowly, Asuka raised herself above him, and then for the first time, grabbed his thing with her barehand, and slowly lowered herself onto it. The feel of it entering her was different this time without the pain, and Asuka let out a shrill shriek as her whole body tensed up, squeezing Shinji's manhood. He very nearly climaxed then, but he managed to control himself, gripped Asuka's hips, and started thrusting inside of her. Her moans grew louder, and she placed her hand in his, squeezing it tightly.

She started moving her hips as well, not letting Shinji do all the work, and he moved one of his hands to her breast, cupping it gently. Asuka's face scrunched up at this, and her hips suddenly grew weak, forcing her to fall onto into Shinji's chest. Grasping her hips again, Shinji continued thrusting as they began kissing. Every time her body moved, he could feel her squeezing him. There wasn't any feeling better than this thought Shinji.

He was at his limit though, and knew he couldn't go on for any longer. He tried telling this to Asuka, but she was focused on his lips right now. Moving faster now, he felt Asuka start shuddering uncontrollably, and knew that she was must be near her moment as well. Thrusting roughly, he felt his own body shudder, and within moments, Asuka let out another shrill scream, reaching her climax, just as Shinji felt himself reach his own.

**(Ends here. Pretty much everything that happened prior to this was included, with the obvious change in that they actually have sex.)**

They collapsed upon each other, not moving, Shinji still inside Asuka. He honestly didn't think he could move anytime soon, and felt incredibly tired. For all Shinji's stamina, there seemed to be something separate that was required when making love. Well, it was there first time afterall.

Panting rather heavily, Shinji glanced at Asuka who was still laying on him, her face pressed against his chest. Her back was glistening with sweat in the candlelight, and her hair was ragged and messy. Shinji could only assume how bad the bedroom probably smelled right now, and the sheets might need a change as well. As much as he enjoyed this though, he realized that they couldn't continue laying like this, especially since he was still inside her.

"Asuka...how do you feel?" he asked.

"Exhausted. Tired. Hungry. Gross, like I need a bath. But," she mumbled as she looked up at him, "more than anything, I'm happy."

Sitting up, Asuka crawled off him, and let out a low sigh, glancing down at herself. She really needed to clean herself off properly now that she looked at the state of her lower region. Swinging her legs off the bed, she got unsteadily to her feet, and then winced in pain. Now that the pleasure was over with, it looked like the pain was coming back. It had been her first time afterall, so this was somewhat expected, but she would likely be sore in the morning.

While Asuka disappeared into the bathroom, Shinji went through the purpose of discarding the used rubber. Most people probably just flushed them down the toilet, but he didn't have the luxury of that. Well, he decided to dump it in a wastepaper basket for now, and would deal with it properly later.

Afterwards, he cleaned himself off properly as well, though Asuka seemed to be taking it a step forward. Using the water they used to wash their dishes, Asuka dumped an entire gallon jug over her nude body while standing in the shower, cleaning herself using both soap and shampoo. Shinji would have done the same, but it had been the last filled jug in the house, and Shinji couldn't really blame Asuka for wanting to cleanse herself. Now that they were out of the moment, the whole bedroom smelled, and they had all three of the windows open.

Throwing on a new clothes, Shinji took one of the candles downstairs with him, and brought up Asuka's half eaten dinner. She had said she was hungry afterall.

When he returned to the bedroom, she was newly dressed in fresh clothes and sitting on the bed.

"I was wondering where you went, though I must say I'm glad you remembered what I said."

Even though the food was cold, Asuka dug in heartily, and Shinji sat beside her, thinking back to the moment between them. It was one of those memories that he was likely to remember for the rest of his life.

"Thinking about something?" asked Asuka, glancing over at him between mouthfuls.

"Hmm...yeah..."

"I guess I don't really need to ask what."

Finishing her plate, she set it on the nightstand beside her bed, and then slid into her spot. Beckoning Shinji towards her, he slowly moved across the bed, and crawled under the covers beside her. Quickly, Asuka faced him, wrapping her arms around him, snuggling up to him. She had never felt more happy.

Pressing her lips against his, she said, "Thank you Shinji, for making me feel this way. I love you."

Shinji kissed her back, holding her strongly against him.

"I love you as well," mumbled Shinji, returning the kiss.

Slowly, they fell asleep in each others arms, there love for each other making them whole, where once there had been two hearts beating together, there now was one.

* * *

><p>High above the clouds circling over Kyoto; above the island of Japan; above the entire Asian continent, and far beyond the Earths atmosphere, Lilith had watched and waited for two years. Time did not matter to her, and compared to the life she had lived before with Adam, the time watching Shinji and Asuka grow and love each other wasn't even a fraction of that time. Still, it had brought back memories that she had long thought gone.<p>

Just as she had promised those two years ago before she had taken their memories, she would allow them to grow whole and love each other again, which had now come to pass. By all means, this should still be enough.

But Lilith hadn't been idle this entire time. The past may affect them though they not know it, but the future is what really mattered now. She couldn't restrain humanity indefinitely, and most of her power was already locked away, containing the souls of the Lilim inside the Black Egg.

Her and Rei had continued talking with each other about what would happen afterwards. Rei, who had known and watched Shinji and Asuka, was a suitable conversation partner about these subjects. They had briefly discussed it before Shinji and Asuka had left, but they had gone in further detail about it later, discussing the finer points and details. There was only so much that Lilith could do, even if she tried occasionally pushing Shinji in the right direction. Ultimately, he would shape his, and Asuka's futures together.

What could happen, and what couldn't happen however; this was what Lilith had decided. She had given them two years already, and they had come to love each other in this time, but time wasn't on there side. Eventually, they would learn this, but until then, they would still have several years until that moment. Lilith herself could possibly change the future by returning the Lilim to their garden, but Shinji wouldn't be prepared by the time they found him.

"It all depends on what they do, and whether Shinji can grow even further. More time is what they require, though it will eventually seem like a fleeting memory to them."

From where she existed, Lilith peered down through the clouds of Kyoto and into the house where Shinji and Asuka were currently laying beside each other.

"I wish you two all the best," Lilith whispered as she turning her eyes away from them, refocusing her attention on the Black Egg that held the souls of all four billion humans.

* * *

><p><strong>It's been a long while coming, but we have finally reached this point. There is a lot I could say, and maybe some that I should say with regards to the second half, but I'd rather it be a surprise, and I'm sure some people can figure it out anyway. I will say though that the next chapter I've had in my mind since before Spawn of Adam finished, so I honestly can't wait to start working on it. I will however be taking a bit of a break, so it's highly unlikely that there'll be another chapter before March, so until then, I leave you with this Valentines Day chapter.<strong>


	30. Rebirth

**Here we go! Sit down, strap in, and prepare for a long chapter!**

* * *

><p>She woke up. Had she been dreaming? She felt like she had been, and that it had been wonderful, but she couldn't recall what it had been about. Then, was she still dreaming now? If so, then this was incredibly real. The sand squishing between her toes and hands as she lay there, the salty smell of the ocean breeze tickling her nose. Was this truly a dream?<p>

She sat up, albeit slowly. Her whole body ached as if she hadn't used it for months. Trying to stand proved impossible, and she fell back onto her butt. Her body felt weak, and her vision was hazy. Her throat was dry, and her stomach began to rumble. What had happened to put her in this situation? Where was she in the first place?

She turned around, digging her hands in the sand to move her body. It was still difficult for her to see, but she recognized the large buildings towering in the skyline. It was a city that she recognized easily, even with the apparent destruction.

This wasn't all though. Through her hazy vision, she saw a figure coming towards her. No, running would be a better explanation. She recognized them, this man. She tried opening her voice, but it hurt too much to speak right now. He seemed to understand something she didn't however, because he eased her worries.

"It's alright. I've got you. Everything is going to be okay."

He picked her up then, holding her against his body. She was incredibly light, so this proved easy. She wanted to say something, anything to this man that she thought she recognized, but he shushed her again.

Wordlessly, he carried her across the beach, and up the concrete steps to the world above. People, at least a hundred of them, were walking around on the road just above the beach. Hundreds of tents of varying sizes and colors were pitched along the road, some of them directly against the remains of destroyed buildings. Some glanced in there direction, but most of them seemed too busy to give them a second thought.

The man continued walking past all these tents. He seemed to know his way around the area well, and had a destination in mind. While still in his arms, she craned her neck around, looking at all the people going about their business. Nearly all of them were carrying something in their arms, or had backpacks slung over their shoulders. It was like a tightly knit colony it seemed.

"We're here," said the man suddenly, and she looked forward just as he ducked his head, stepping inside of a large tent. The canvas was green, and the sunlight which shined through created a murky green glow on the inside. There were several makeshift beds on the inside, and the man laid her down on one of them.

He glanced around the large tent, capable of allowing multiple people to stand upright inside of it, but one cursory glance around showed that there wasn't anybody else inside.

"Stay here, and don't move. I'm going to find someone to check on you."

She tried to say something again, but he was already leaving the tent. Without any other options, she closed her eyes and rested her weak body on the bed. She trusted this man that she thought she knew, but the whole situation baffled her. She recognized this city, the man, and even some of the people she had seen walking around, but everything else was confusing. What had happened?

Several minutes went by with her laying there, her eyes closed. Try as she might, she couldn't remember what had happened, even though she knew it was important. Before she could think of anything else though, she heard hurried footsteps, and the sound of a woman's voice.

"How was she?"

"Weak, couldn't speak, bit disoriented; same as everyone that has returned, though she recognized me."

"That's something at least. Well, let's see her."

The tent flap opened, momentarily piercing her eyes with the change in light. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out the two distinct figures. One was the man who had carried her here, and the other was a woman. The woman, she recognized her from the short length blonde hair, though she hadn't seen her were jeans or a t-shirt in a long time.

The woman pulled up a chair to sit beside her and started examining her body. She checked her eyes, her arms, legs, heart rate, and reflexes. This was all rather sudden, but she let this woman continued the examination. She knew and trusted her, even though she couldn't place the name.

Apparently done with the examination, the woman turned to the man and said, "I'm gonna have you leave for a minute. I want to talk to her alone for a minute."

The man waved at her, understanding, and pulled something out from his breast pocket as he left the tent. This conjured up a strange memory for the woman lying on the bed, but she didn't know why. Reaching for the tent flap with her arm outstretched, she suddenly didn't want the man to leave, but the woman doing the examination placed something in her hand instead.

"Here drink this, but slowly."

She passed her a plastic cup filled with water, and she drank it slowly, sitting up slightly. Her throat didn't feel as painful anymore, and her body began to feel invigorated.

"Now," said the woman as she took the plastic cup away from her, "how do you feel, Misato?"

Katsuragi Misato opened her eyes wide, a rush of things returning to her mind, things that she had forgotten, which she shouldn't have. That's right, she was a major, part of the organization know as Nerv whose purpose was to prevent the annihilation of humankind from the beings known as Angels. And this woman in front of her was-

"Ritsuko...wha-"

"I'm sure you have plenty of questions, and I have my own. But before any of that, how do you feel?"

Misato blinked, trying to formulate her thoughts. How did she feel?

"I don't know. My whole body is sore, and just moving my muscles hurts."

"That's typical from what we've seen so far."

"What?"

"Never mind, I'll get back to that another time. How are your memories? What do you remember?"

"..My name, yours, Nerv, the Angels, and...the Evangelions."

"What about the man who carried you here?"

That's right, that man who carried her. She also knew who he was, because he was somebody important to her.

"Kaji," Misato said.

"Good," replied Ritsuko. "Now, do you remember anything else? Something which happened before you woke up on the beach?"

"I...know I don't think so-"

Misato paused. No, she did remember something; it was coming back to her. The attack, the battle, the sound of gunfire and the smell of smoke. Blood though is what came to the front of her mind. The rich acrid smell of blood. But it wasn't just anybody's blood, it was her blood, slowing dripping out of her body, and there had been somebody else there with her. Who was it? The face, a male, slowly came back to her, and she remembered that it was Kaji.

"I...died?" mumbled Misato. "Kaji and I died? How is that-"

"Focus Misato," said Ritsuko abruptly. "What else do you remember? Slowly, what else do you remember?"

"I...the hallway where we were, fighting back other soldiers. Other Nerv personal were there, assisting us, but we couldn't hold them off. It was only a matter of time until they broke through but-"

"What else? Why were you there in the hallway. Why did you stay there?"

"...an elevator, there was an elevator that we were guarding. We couldn't let them go down to the lower levels, but-"

Something sprang to her mind. They had been fighting, holding them off as best as they could, but the superior numbers and weapons were thinning there numbers. Then, the elevator door opened, and somebody stepped out. The face, who was it? It was a target for the soldiers, somebody that they were aiming for, that they had orders to kill on sight. But the person, no, it was a girl now that Misato remembered, wanting something, she wanted to help.

Against her better judgement, Misato had listened to the girls request, and led her to an emergency duct. Both her and Kaji let the other Nerv personal hold them back while they did this, but they knew they didn't have much time. What was it though about the girl? Misato knew her, had known her for years before everything at Nerv had happened. The blue eyes, the vivid red hair, the fiery attitude that no one could contain. And then it clicked.

"Asuka," said Misato loudly. "Asuka was there. We were there at the elevator because Asuka was there...and...Rei. The soldiers wanted to get to the Evangelion pilots, but we were there to stop them. But Asuka wanted to go out a fight, even though Unit-02 was badly damaged, and came up to the floor we were on."

"What else?" asked Ritsuko leaning forward.

"Kaji and I led her to an access tunnel that would allow her to get there, but we both knew we couldn't follow her, so we stayed there to hold them off."

"Why was Asuka so set on helping then, even though she knew Unit-02 was badly damaged?"

Oddly, the answer came quickly to Misato. When one thought of Asuka, they would immediately begin thinking about the person associated with her, the boy who had given up on his own humanity to protect her. Misato had known both of them deeply, had watched them grow together in her own apartment. She cared about both of there well beings, but he in particular cared about her to the point that he would willingly sacrifice himself to protect her.

"Shinji," mumbled Misato almost sadly. "She was going out to help Shinji fight the Mass-Produced Evangelions, even though hers was damaged, and I let her. What sort of a guardian am I?"

"You remember them then?"

"I do. They lived in my apartment for months, eating together, going to school together, fighting together. How could I forget that?"

Ritsuko stared at Misato for several seconds before finally standing up.

"Well, if you can remember all that, then it seems your mind is functioning properly. I don't want to tax you any further though, so I'm gonna give you some sleeping pills to help you rest."

"I don't want, or need rest. I'm fine," said Misato as she tried to get up.

"You do, just like everyone else. I've already asked you enough, so it's time you got some sleep. Even if you're coherent, your body still needs to recover."

"Wait Ritsuko. Answer me this at least. Are they okay, Shinji and Asuka...and is this what I think it is?"

Ritsuko eyed her for a second before letting out a sigh.

"As to the first question, both Shinji and Asuka are not here, and nor is Rei; all the pilots are missing. And the second question...it is as it seems, the results of Third Impact, or After Impact."

"If this is After Impact then, why are we here?"

Ritsuko shook her head and said, "I don't know, but that may be a question that only Shinji can answer."

Handing her another plastic cup filled with water and a small pill this time, Misato took the pill wordlessly and downed the entire cup of water, falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>Misato woke early the next morning after sleeping the entirety of the previous day away. When she opened her eyes, she could smell the familiar musky odor of tobacco filling her nostrils.<p>

Opening her eyes, she saw Kaji sitting beside her in a chair, focusing on what appeared to be a large map detailing all of Tokyo-3.

"I would have thought that you would have given up that habit considering the situation," said Misato glancing at him.

"It's because we're in this situation that I needed one," replied Kaji. Looking away from the map, he asked her, "Feeling better today?"

"Yeah. Ritsuko was right, sleep was the best thing."

"She's normally right about those kind of things. Hungry?"

"Starved."

Picking something off the ground, Kaji passed her a bag of chips and a bottle of water. Misato seemed rather crestfallen at the small bag of chips.

"It's better to start off eating slowly, though we don't have much in the way of supplies in the first place, so this is all you can eat for the moment."

"Have you guys been scavenging the surrounding area?"

"Yeah, people have been doing it in shifts."

"How many people are here right now?"

"About one hundred and twenty, though this is only the count as of the morning. More keep returning everyday."

Misato had about a hundred different questions that she wanted to ask them, but she swallowed for the moment, slowly eating and drinking.

A short time later, Ritsuko ducked through the tent flap, entering the tent. She had large bags under eyes, and looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Something wrong?" asked Kaji.

"Patrols found ten more people about half an hour ago, and I've been running from one tent to the other checking them. I'm exhausted."

Sitting down on the bed opposite Misato, she took a large gulp of water and looked across to where Misato was laying.

"You seem better today at least. No disorientation, dizziness, nausea?"

"No, I feel better."

"Good, though I can't say I'm surprised."

"...Ritsuko?"

"Everybody that has been returning has had the same symptoms. Disorientation, can't speak, and there bodies have atrophied; it's all similar to waking up from a coma, or that we've been in suspended animation. I actually didn't ask you this yesterday Misato, but do you remember dreaming anything?"

"Yeah, in a way. I felt like I had been dreaming, or that I was waking up from a dream, but I can't remember what it was."

"Everybody else has had the same experience, but I suppose I should start bringing you up to speed on a couple things."

Clearing her throat, Ritsuko continued talking.

"It's been six days now since everybody started appearing on the beach, nearly all in groups. Myself and Kaji were in the first and second groups respectively. Everybody that has returned so far have all been Nerv employee. With the new group that just arrived recently, the total number of people here is one hundred and thirty."

"Is it possible that others have returned before us?"

"If they did, they didn't stay in the city. There have been no other signs of humans staying here before we started arriving. No, I'm sure that we are the first. Currently, we have people patrolling the beaches up and down in both directions since this area seems to be centered on where most are arriving. We've been scavenging for food as best as we can, but any perishables have long since deteriorated. I'm guessing that several months have passed since Third Impact happened at the very least, possibly as much as a year."

"Kaji said the supplies are low right now," said Misato.

"We're rationing everything as best as possible, but with more people returning every day it's becoming more difficult. If civilians start returning, I can only imagine the problems we'll begin to have. So far, everybody has been understanding, but if this continues, people may begin to clash over the simplest of things."

"I'm assuming you have a plan then?" asked Misato.

"I do, and it's a good thing you returned when you did. Kaji, show her the map."

Kaji handed the map over to Misato, and glanced over it, quickly noticing what the many markings on the map indicated.

"These are all access points into the Geofront," stated Misato.

"Exactly. The power grid is down across all of Tokyo-3, but the Geofront has its own generators and backups incase those fail. With a small party of Nerv personal, we should be able to get them running again. Getting the electricity back would be a moral boost, and there should be plenty of supplies down there as well."

"I assume that you want me to lead this expedition?" said Misato.

"Both you and Kaji. I'd go as well, but I'll have to stay here for the people returning. Besides, you're now the highest ranking person here at the moment."

"I am? What about the Commander, and Fuyutsuki?"

"There hasn't been any sign of the commander, and Fuyutsuki returned a few days before you, but he hasn't said much to me or anyone. He has relinquished his role as vice commander as well, so you're now the highest ranking member here."

"But Ritsuko, you-"

"First and foremost, I'm a doctor and a scientist," said Ritsuko, cutting her off. "You want my medical or scientific opinion, that I can give. I'm not a leader, and these six days juggling both has wore me down. That duty is yours Misato, whether you want it or not. You commanded at Nerv when you had to, and this is no different."

Misato's eyes swiveled to Kaji as though asking her to back her up, but he just waived his hands in front of his face and said, "Don't look at me. I was never directly affiliated with Nerv in the first place, and only gave my support when it was needed."

"Useless," complained Misato.

Looking from one to the other though, she finally gave up.

"Fine, you win. I'll do this, but I want both of your assistance and help when needed.."

* * *

><p>Two days later, when Misato was fully rested and her body had recovered, her and Kaji started on there way to the Geofront with six other people who had worked in the maintenance department. They walked at a distance away from the maintenance crew, letting them decide based on the map what emergency access to enter the Geofront from. In reality, there were many choices to chose from. Due to the attack on Nerv, all of the main access tunnels leading to the Geofront had been assaulted, most of the gates having been throughly destroyed, allowing large groups of soldiers to infiltrate. Misato didn't just plan on restoring power while they were there, but assessing the overall damage to the Geofront.<p>

Based on the current path they were taking, Misato had an idea of where they were headed.

As she had assumed, they were making for a small building disguised as a retail store that in reality, was owned by Nerv. It was just one of the many buildings used in emergencies if the power grid across Tokyo-3 failed. She was sure that the thought of entering through one of the main gates had appeared in the minds of the maintenance crew, but they couldn't be sure how badly the damage was there. The coalition of soldiers could have likely destroyed the entrances, hoping to trap Nerv employees inside the facility, so this was a for sure option.

That being said, the building had suffered severe damage from the fight between Unit-01 and the Mass-Produced Evangelions. Much of the right side of the building had collapsed on itself, and broken pieces of brick littered the front entrance.

The eight of them stepped around the hazardous obstacles, and entered the darkened ruin, turning on their flashlights as they did. Misato had never actually been through this access point before, though she knew about it, and each of the maintenance crew certainly had used it before since it was their job to keep points like this operational.

The interior was a mess, with broken wooden shelves and a random assortment of objects. It was a cheap shop, like a second hand store, which made it not stand out, though this was of course the point.

Navigating around the scattered shelves, Kaji and Misato followed the crew who seemed to know this place even if they were blindfolded into the back where the employee lounge was. Opening a side door, they proceeded down a narrow staircase into the basement. Here, the brick and mortar store disappeared above them, and the walls were replaced by thick metal walls. It was like a small basement, about thirty feet in diameter, and devoid of anything except a single large metal door at the far side of the room. The door had a manual crank on it, similar to those seen on battleships. One of the crewman, presumably the strongest of the six, placed both his on the crank and began turning it, slowly opening the metal door and half a minute later, revealed a metal stairway that went down into the darkness.

"Commander?" asked the crewman who had just opened the door as he turned towards Misato.

Misato felt it would take sometime to get used to being referred to as the commander, but she nodded all the same, and took the lead down the staircase, followed closely by Kaji.

Many minutes passed with only the sound of their footsteps echoing off the walls as they continued walking deeper under Tokyo-3. Slowly however, Misato began to feel a soft breeze hitting her face. Finally, the beam of her flashlight hit a door at the end of the long staircase. Turning the doorknob, it swung open, bathing her in warm sunlight.

The eight of them stepped out onto a small platform, several feet above the ground. Sunlight streamed down through the gaping hole in the Geofront, and for a moment, they took in the scenery. The grass, trees, and lake were all Misato remembered it as if she had just been here yesterday, and the pyramid of Nerv was no different. This wasn't entirely true however, as even from here, the aftermath of the damage done to the Geofront from the battle could be seen.

Turning towards the others, she beckoned them to follow her, and walked down the winding metal staircase. As she began reaching the bottom however, she noticed something unusual. The handrail, and many parts of the metal stairway were rusted brown and orange. Ritsuko had mentioned that the possibility of several months to a year had passed since humans had vanished from the earth, but was this amount of rust normal for that passage of time?

When she reached the bottom of the stairway though, something else struck her as odd. While a concrete path has once been here, and while it wouldn't be unusual for it to be concealed by the

overgrown grass, the grass was well above her head. Forty feet above the ground, it was more difficult to establish the height of things below you, but was this normal?

"It's bothering you too, isn't it?" said Kaji pointedly.

"So you noticed as well," mumbled Misato. "What do you think?"

"I've seen a lot more of the city than you have, and honestly, I think Ritsuko was being rather conservative in her assessment. The rust in particular worries me. I've seen many cars throughout the city who's paint has completely rusted off, and that would of course be because they're out in the open and get rained on constantly. The railing though is far enough away from the hole left by the N2 bomb that it would take a considerable amount of rain and wind to reach this point. Plants need both water and direct sunlight to grow, and the grass here will only get hit by the sun as its setting for maybe an hour everyday, which of course doesn't account for cloud cover. As we near the center of the Geofront, I'm guessing the grass will be even taller."

"Then how long do you think we were gone for?" asked Misato.

"I don't know," said Kaji, shaking his head. "But I think it's more than a year."

Misato didn't say anything, but she began worrying about the future. How long had they been gone? Could humanity realistically continue living in such a state?

"Well, one step at a time I suppose," said Kaji. "Before we start worrying about anything else, we first need to try and get the power back to the Geofront."

"Right," mumbled Misato, pushing her worries to the back of her mind.

Though the path was concealed by the grass, each of them had treaded on it enough times to know where it was headed, and it wasn't as if they couldn't guess. The large pyramid which was the most distinct landmark in the Geofront was what they were aiming for.

After several minutes of walking and fighting there way through the tall grass which reached over there heads, they finally reached the entrance to Nerv. The front doors had been smashed open, and what they at first thought to be more rust around the entrance, turned out to be dried blood. They were reminded again of the battle that had happened here, though for them, hardly a week had passed within their own memories.

"C'mon," said Misato as she stepped through the doorframe.

The automatic moving walkways were of course shut off without power, so they walked the length of the long entrance way, noting the many patches of dried blood, shell casings that littered the floor, and bullet holes that marked the walls. Misato couldn't help but inwardly shudder as she thought of the brutality orchestrated here.

They were on the ground floor, or what could be viewed as the very center of Dogma. With the elevators not working, they used an emergency stairwell that led further into the complex. At this point, Misato let the maintenance crew take the lead since they knew the in and outs of this place, and followed their lead.

The main generators and backup generators were in separate locations, and the maintenance crew didn't even bother to go for the main ones. It would be too much to hope that the soldiers hadn't manages to sabotage the main generators, but the backups would hopefully be fine.

Stepping into a narrow tunnel that ran the length of the Geofront, one of the many that was used by the maintenance crew to move around quickly, Misato and Kaji followed the others to a single door. One of the crewmen opened it, and they entered a large room.

Five enormous generators stretched to the end of the room, each nearly thirty feet tall, and twenty feet wide. Misato let her eyes trail over the large generators before her eyes moved to the maintenance crew who had already begun assessing the situation. Everything was manually operated in here, but the problem was that the back up generators were automatically supposed to start incase the primarily ones failed.

Misato stood there and watched as they began moving around the large room, the six of them examining each of the five generators. From the snatches of conversation she heard, it appeared that at the very least, they weren't tampered with. Slowly, the six of them went off in opposite directions after reaching some sort of agreement. Two of them began accessing panels near two of the generators, and examining the wires there while another entered a large man sized duct near another generator. Misato watched them begin working, and turned towards Kaji with a confused expression, wondering whether she was supposed to say anything to them, but Kaji was looking pointedly over Misato's shoulder. Turning around, Misato saw of the crew walking towards her, the only female in the group.

"Commander?"

"Just call me Misato," sighed Misato. "So, have you figured out what's wrong? Why haven't the backups started yet?"

"No," said the woman, shaking her head. "The generators themselves don't have any problems. It's difficult to be sure without a more thorough examination of the power grid, but we think that during the attack, something must have disrupted the backups from starting. All of the generators here run on hydroelectric power from Tokyo-3's bay, so somewhere along the line the connection was disrupted somehow."

"Do you have an idea for how long it'll take to get it back up?"

"Again without an idea of how sever the damage is here, or to the rest of the Geofront, we can't be sure. At the very least, the damage is centralized here. The cables run deep underground, so even with the destruction to the city, it wouldn't affect it on that end. Most likely the soldiers cut the power at some point, likely with help from inside."

Misato had long since known that there were infiltrators from Seele inside Nerv, so this didn't come as much of a surprise.

"Do you need more people to help with this?"

"As many as possible."

"Right. I'd already planned on getting an accurate damage assessment of the Geofront and Dogma, so I suppose this handles both cases. Don't push yourselves, and work in shifts to alleviate the work load. I'll send a few more personal down here when I return to the camp."

"Thank you comman-Misato."

The woman hurried of without another word, assisting the others with the workload.

"Not bad Commander," muttered Kaji with a slight smile.

"Don't you go talking like that as well," groaned Misato as she turned to leave.

Both of them left, walking back up the emergency stairwell. Misato had expected things to go a lot slower, but they had gotten here sooner than she had expected, and it couldn't have even been noon yet.

"Hey Kaji?"

"Hmmm?"

"Mind if we make a detour?"

"No, I don't," he answered, knowing fully well where she wanted to go.

Minutes later, they both stood in the middle of a hallway, staring a duct, and in particular, the dried blood that surrounded it.

"It's hard to believe, isn't it, muttered Kaji.

Misato didn't say anything as she continued staring at the dried blood. This was where both her and Kaji had once "died" yet here they were standing side by side again. It was a very surreal feeling to be staring at the spot where there deaths actually occurred.

"Did I make the right decision in letting Asuka fight?" asked Misato almost inaudibly.

"If you hadn't, she would have likely found another way."

"What would Shinji have said in that moment though? Surely he wouldn't have allowed it."

"Whatever he would have done doesn't matter, since you were the one to make the decision. Are you blaming yourself for what happened between them?"

No, Misato didn't think she was, not in that regard at least. However, she couldn't help but feel that things weren't right not having them here right now. Shinji and Asuka had just as much a role in things that were happening right now as Misato herself. Since they both weren't here though, Misato couldn't help but feel some twinge of guilt. If she hadn't relied on Shinji so heavily, or allowed Asuka to pilot Unit-02, would they be here? What had happened after she parted ways with Asuka in the first place?

"Misato?" asked Kaji, noting the worried expression on her face.

"...Sorry," she replied. "Just remembering some things. I think I'm ready to leave."

Kaji nodded, and followed Misato back the way they came.

It took them roughly two hours of backtracking there way through the Geofront and navigating there way through the city until they were back at their camp near the beach. Thankfully, Kaji knew the city fairly well even in its ruined state, so they made it back without much difficulty. The sun had just reached its apex in the sky when Misato found Ritsuko in her tent, going over a notebook she had been writing in recently.

"That didn't take very long?" said Ritsuko when she saw them enter through the tent flap. "I take it you didn't run into any problems?"

"That depends on what you mean," sighed Misato as she sank down into a foldable chair. "We found the generators without any difficulty, but the crewmen say it may take them sometime to get them up and running. They aren't sure what the problem is without a more thorough analysis of the damages done to Nerv and the Geofront, so I'll be sending some more personnel down there in the evening."

"Can't say I didn't expect that," shrugged Ritsuko. "Well, if it's any consolation, we've managed to get a few vehicles that were sheltered from the rain running, so we can begin sending more people to the Geofront. Besides that, there was something that was reported to me shortly after you two left."

"What is it?" asked Misato.

"One of our men has found what appears to be the remains of Unit-02."

Kaji could tell that Misato tensed up beside him, and thought for a moment that she was about to run out of the tent after demanding to know where it was, but she managed to keep calm.

"What is its state?" asked Misato hesitantly.

"He didn't give a very accurate picture in that regard. He's not one that normally associates himself with the Evangelions, so only knows of them from a very vague standpoint, but he gave me the directions to the remains."

"Where are they?" asked Misato, finally asking the question she had been wanting to ask from the moment Ritsuko told her this.

"I'll get to that in a minute," said Ritsuko, but when Misato went to protest this by opening her mouth, Ritsuko continued with, "there is something else I wanted to discuss with you before you leave."

Misato surely didn't want to waste anymore time talking if there was even the slightest possibility to discover anything which may have happened to Asuka, but she held her tongue.

"As you know, I've been fulfilling my role as a doctor and questioning every single person that returns and ends up back here in Tokyo-3. In doing so, I've been slowly able to piece together the events that happened during the attack on the Geofront, and have a fairly accurate understanding of what happened that day."

"What are getting at?" asked Misato, beginning to lose her patience.

"Fine, I can see that you are anxious for me to hurry through this, so I'll say this much at least. Something happened at the end of the battle between Unit-01 and the Mass Produced Evangelions, likely helping to create the situation that we are now in."

"And Shinji-"

"Was likely at the center of it all," finished Ritsuko. "I do not know what happened during that moment since everything was chaotic on our end, and the command center was being overrun at the time. Unfortunately, we have very little knowledge of what happened after both Unit-01 and Unit-02 engaged the Mass Produced Evangelions."

"So Asuka made it to Shinji's side," spoke Misato.

"She did. Both yours and Kaji's efforts weren't in vain."

This helped to improve Misato mood slightly, but she still had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Without Shinji here though, we don't have anyway of confirming this," said Misato suddenly.

"Well, true," sighed Ritsuko. "There are many things I would like to ask him if I got the chance. Well, that's all I wanted to say, but I expect to hear something reassuring after you investigate Unit-02."

"I will," said Misato as she stood up to leave. She glanced over at Kaji, thinking that he would accompany her.

"Sorry," he said, "I've got something other matters to attend to, so I won't be accompanying you this time."

"Right," said Misato, thinking that she would have preferred his company of she was honest. She didn't know what she expected to find, but she wanted to be prepared for the worst.

After Misato had left however, Kaji turned to Ritsuko and asked, "How long do you think we've actually been gone for?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"You can't honestly expect people to not be able to not put two and two together. The decomposition of food, oxidizing of metal, plant life that has grown in abundance without humans hands to tend them. Six months is hardly long enough for these things, well, the food wouldn't take long I suppose, but other than that..."

"You weren't secretly affiliated with Nerv for nothing I see," sighed Ritsuko."

Standing up, she left the comfortable feel of the chair, and stepped into the open sun while Kaji followed her. All around them, people continued moving, each of them shouldering some burden that they were assigned. That last remnants of humanity has been reduced to scavengers.

"I don't honestly know how much time has passed, and that is what makes me worried the most," whispered Ritsuko.

"You don't even have a guess?" asked Kaji.

"More than a year I think. If we can get the power back, then I may be able to get a rough estimate, but that's all."

Kaji and Ritsuko watched the many Nerv employees continuing working around them, both wondering how humanity could continue functioning as such.

* * *

><p>Using the map Ritsuko had given her, it didn't take long for Misato to arrive by vehicle. She was driving a green jeep that somebody has found during the many travels through the ruined city, and Misato was thankful for this. On foot, it would have taken her several hours.<p>

From where their camp was on the beach, it was difficult to tell how bad the state of Tokyo-3 was. While driving though, Misato began to realize just how bad the damage was. A large part of the city had of course been destroyed when Unit 00 was contaminated and subsequently destroyed, but the ensuing battle between Unit 01 and the Mass Produced Evangelions had turned this section of Tokyo-3 into a wasteland similar to apocalyptic movies. The destroyed remains of buildings lay on there side. Entire sections of roadways had been gouged out of the earth, and large indents into the ground indicated where the Evangelions once stood.

Misato took all this in as she drove, carefully navigating her way around the ruins until she reached the area that the map indicated where Unit 02 was. As Misato stepped out of the jeep though, she couldn't help but inhale sharply at the sight before her. Calling it the remains of Unit 02 didn't do it justice: there was almost nothing left of the Evangelion.

Initially, Unit 02 had been severely damaged by Unit 01 and Shinji as they fought while descending into Terminal Dogma. Tabris, the last Angel had of course been controlling it at the time, and Shinji had seen no way of subduing it then to tear off both its arms. After the battle, Unit 02 had been repaired, but only to the point of the right arm functioning again, and Asuka had left to fight with Shinji in this damaged state. But that state couldn't compare to what Misato saw now. The only way of describing it was a savage mangling.

Unit 02 was nearly unrecognizable. The entire chest cavity had been ripped open, the large organs long decayed, and the ribcage had been ripped apart, pieces of bone littering the ground beside the fallen Eva Unit. The right arm had been torn off, though within Misato's vision, it was no where to be found. Both of the legs had been stripped clean of flesh as though carrion birds had defiled the body. The skull however was missing from the body, the head flung to the side where it lay on the ground. Two large punctures where the eyes were supposed to be went in one end of the skull and out the other. The top of the skull looked to have been crushed by a blunt instrument or a large fist, and the flesh had of course long decayed away, the metal red armor laying around the broken skull.

Misato felt a certain fear welling up inside her as she looked at the husk which was once Unit 02, long destroyed during the battle with the Mass Produced Eva Units. However, there was still one thing that she didn't immediately see, and that was the entry plug.

Quickly jumping back in the jeep, she starting driving around the corpse of Unit 02, searching for the entry plug. What did she expect to find? Misato wasn't sure whether she even wanted to find it or not, worried what the inside might tell her. However, if there was even the slightest possibility she could learn something about Asuka, she felt it was her duty to do so.

Driving in a large radius around Unit 02, she slowly began enlarging the circle she was driving in, but began to lose hope of ever finding it. When she was about to give up though, she spotted a cylindrical object far away from where Unit 02 lay. Speeding up, she realized why she hadn't seen it sooner since the white entry plug would certainly have stood out in the ruins.

Stepping out of the jeep, she slowly walked towards the object, nearly buried in the dirt. The white had faded, replaced with a rusted hue, but Misato could see the words "Unit 02" plastered on the side though the letters were faded. Walking around the side, she tried pulling on the release that would open it, but it was firmly rusted closed. Misato stared at it for several seconds, knowing that it was futile to try to open it by herself. What she needed to do now was return to camp and get a team out her to open it.

As she hurried back to her jeep though, she felt that something was bothering her. Where were the Mass Produced Evangelions that Asuka had certainly fought? Where was Unit 01? What had happened to Shinji?

Hundreds of questions began floating around Misato's mind, nearly all of which she couldn't find an answer for.

Unable to find an answer, she had no choice but to return to camp, dreading what she might find after the entry plug for Unit 02 was opened.

* * *

><p>When Misato returned, she barged into Ritsuko's tent while she was talking to a patient who has recently been found on the beach earlier that day, and was immediately ordered out until she was done. When Ritsuko finally came out of the tent, she found Misato standing there impatiently waiting for her.<p>

"You're back quicker than I anticipated. I take it you found something.

"Speaking hurriedly, Misato said, "Unit 02 is...there isn't much left. I don't know what happened during the battle, but it is unsalvageable, but that's not the important part. I found the entry plug, but it's rusted shut. Ritsuko, I need you to help me assemble a team to get it open. Whatever tools you need just find them, Asuka may-"

"Misato, even if we could assemble a team this quickly with the right tools and factoring in the little light left today, a week has passed since people started returning, and even if Asuka was trapped in there, she's likely-"

"Don't! Please don't say that..."

Even though Misato said this, she recognized how hopeless it was to believe Asuka was waiting in the entry plug for rescue. LCL fluid could function as water in dire need, and passed through the lungs mimicking oxygen, but a week without food...that was pushing it.

"Even if she isn't there, some sign of her, that's all I want."

"Even if it's something you don't want to see?" asked Ritsuko.

"...Yes," replied Misato.

Ritsuko watched her for several seconds before she sighed and said, "Alright. But it may be a few hours before everything will be ready. It just so happens that somebody found a hardware store earlier today and came back with a few things just as a precaution. I'll send a few more people back to grab a list of things we'll need."

"Ritsuko?"

"I'll be coming as well. I trust you, but I'd planned on seeing Unit 02 myself, so I think this kills two birds with one stone."

"But what about affairs here? What about the people returning?"

"I'm not the only doctor that Nerv employed. They should be able to handle things even if I'm away for a few hours."

"Ritsuko, I-"

"Get some rest if you can in the mean time. You look like you need it."

Leaving her with that thought, Ritsuko left Misato alone in front of the tent after she went back in. Though she was anxious, Misato knew that sleep would be best right now. There was no point worrying over something which may or may not occur, but on the off chance that it did...

Pushing that thought away from her mind, Misato found a small tent tucked away in a corner of the encampment, laid herself down on an empty sleeping back, and fell into a restless sleep.

It felt like she had only just laid down, when Kaji shook her awake two hours later.

"You look horrible," said Kaji after Misato sat up, yawning widely. In truth, she had only managed to get about half an hour of sleep, and ended up lying awake, tossing and turning for most of the time.

"Is Ritsuko ready?"

"Yeah, she had me come and get you, and also told you to put something warm on. It's likely gonna be a cold night."

Handing her a jacket and some warmer clothes, Kaji stepped out of the tent and waited for her to change, smoking while he waited. When Misato stepped out, she glanced over at him, before taking the cigarette out of his mouth and took a long drag on it.

"I thought you quit," said Kaji, surprised by this action.

"I needed that right now. My nerves are shot."

Handing it back to him, Misato spotted Ritsuko walking towards then, dressed similarly as she was.

"You awake?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's go. I want to at least get there before the sun completely sets."

Ritsuko drove, with Misato riding shotgun beside her in the same jeep she had driven earlier. Kaji stayed behind at the camp, taking care of a few things on his end, deciding to leave it to them. Behind Ritsuko and Misato, five more vehicles drove at a distance behind them, each of varying makes, models, and colors. Ten more people were accompanying them, each an engineer who had hands on experience working with the Evangelions.

By the time they reached there destination, it was already dark out, and they parked the six vehicles around the entry plug, the headlights shinning on it to provide light. The ten workers got out of their vehicles and started pulling out tools from crowbars, to buzz saws and blow torches.

Misato watched then start working around the entry plug, but noticed that Ritsuko had wandered over to the wreckage of Unit 02 and was examining it using a flash light she had brought. Hurrying over to her, she saw that Ritsuko was closely examining the skull.

"Well, you were certainly right in that this is unsalvageable, but I'm glad I saw it myself."

Misato saw that Ritsuko expression was darkened however, and the beam of her flashlight was closely inspecting the two gaping holes where the eyes had once been.

"Misato, unless I'm very mistaken, I think the damage to Unit 02 was done after it was already incapacitated."

Misato's expression froze, but she managed she give a low reply.

"What do you mean?"

"These two points here, I think they were done by a Lance of Longinus."

The Lance of Longinus, capable of breaking through an Angels AT-field and destroying its core instantly. However, if said thing was used against an Evangelion, it would effectively disrupt the pilots synchronization, possibly killing the pilot, and where the two holes were.

"...No...Asuka," spoke Misato in horror.

"The cranial nerves were severed, originating from the back of the skull. It was thrust in from here."

"...Ritsuko..."

"I don't think there can be any denying it..."

Then Asuka was-

"But," said Ritsuko cutting off Misato's voiceless cry, "keep in mind that both yourself and Kaji died, yet here you are standing next to me."

"Ritsuko, what are you saying?" said Misato, holding back her tears.

"Only this. You died, yet here you are. There is something, some sort of phenomenon that happened here that I can't explain. Third Impact has apparently occurred, so why are we alive then? Even if Asuka did die, there is a strong possibility that she could come back just as you and Kaji did, and you aren't the only ones. Plenty other of our personnel died, only to return."

"So, something like...God made this happen?"

"Something more physical than that I think, or a being that could be considered a god. Don't forget Misato, Shinji is not only human, but has Adam's DNA in him. I think he had some hand in whatever happened...this miracle if you will. I've also noticed that neither the Mass-Produced Eva's, or Unit 01 is here, though what's happened to them, I don't know. Either way, don't give up hope on Shinji or Asuka. Somehow or another, they'll turn up eventfully, I believe."

At that moment, they heard a loud call from where the crew was working. They had managed to cut open the entry plug, though it had predictably been empty. Misato saw it for herself, but the only thing left was a small amount of LCL fluid which trickled out of the cut they had made. No sign of Asuka, or any possibility that she was ever even here.

Without any other options, the group went back to the campsite, but Ritsuko was thinking about Shinji, and his possible relevance to Third Impact. There was still much that she didn't know, but also some that she hadn't told Misato. Shinji having Adam's DNA was essentially the catalyst that could have triggered Third Impact, but something else was required of course. Was it Shinji himself which had caused everybody to return, or was it that other being?

Ritsuko looked up to the darkened sky, wondering how far away from the truth she was.

* * *

><p>The days passed by slowly, as Misato started getting used to being called the commander. Ritsuko and Kaji helped out her where there assistance was needed, but ultimately, the decision fell on her.<p>

The third day after they had opened Unit 02's entry plug, Misato received a report on the status of the Geofront and Dogma. Besides the destruction that Unit 01 and Shinji had caused while destroying military installation and the top part of the pyramid being blown off, the rest of the Geofront was largely in tact. Rations had been found within Nerv capable of supplying them for many months, but this was of course only on the assumption that everything was strictly for Nerv personnel. As there numbers continued growing, and civilians eventually started appearing, rations would start to dwindle. With this in mind, Misato decided to start planning for the inevitable future.

The hills above Tokyo-3 had there fair share of small towns and homes, but the majority of it was farmland. Tokyo-3 had been built with the imagined possibility of it being the only remaining city on earth incase the Angels targeted the rest of the earth. Because of this, Tokyo-3 was supplied entirely by its own agricultural surroundings, eliminating the need for foreign imports.

Misato sent out a team of people to the hills to inspect the land, fearing that they may have to start planting from scratch, but was surprised by the news she received when they returned. Though much of the fields were overgrown with weeds and nature had claimed back much of the civilized land, most of the fields were teeming with food still. With the change of seasons, fruit would fall from the stems and the seeds would become buried in the ground as animals trod upon them and water fell. Certain root based vegetables would need to be replanted, but they had returned at a time where the winter was just ending, and spring starting. Misato once again wondered if whatever force has brought them back had planned this all along. It certainly made things easier for her.

Finally, nearly a week after they had inspected Unit 02, Misato was greeted by the woman from the maintenance crew who has sped into the camp driving a red truck. The news couldn't have been any better: the backup generators were finally working. Misato couldn't help but smile at this news, and the people near her that heard this news began cheering. Electricity and running water: everybody had missed these daily necessities for the short time they had been without them.

With the thought in mind that she should organize groups to go to the Geofront to relax for a while, Misato entered Ritsuko's tent. She was examining a large notebook that had notes about every patient that she had examined. At the very front of the notebook were numerous numbers, all of which had been crossed out and then finally at the very bottom was the number five hundred and seventy-eight, circled in red ink.

"So this is what we're to as far as our population goes?" asked Misato.

"Yeah," said Ritsuko as she leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms up.

"So have you heard?"

"I'm assuming by the cheering that the back up generators have been fixed?"

"They have. I was thinking of sending groups of people down to the Geofront to relax and what not. God knows I could use a shower myself. With this amount of people though, I suppose we should start setting up residencies inside the Geofront."

"Either that our start rebuilding Tokyo-3's infrastructure."

"Isn't it a little soon for that?"

"No, you're right. We still have a while before that begins. So what's next?"

"That was actually the main reason I came to see you. The electricity and water may be working again, but Nerv's network, the computer systems, are still down."

"I figured as much. I suppose they'll need my help in that regard."

"How soon can you get them back up?"

"If it's a simple matter of rebooting the system, about a day. Why though? They can't be of much help."

"I've actually been thinking Ritsuko, whether we our the only humans here."

"What do you mean?"

"You said when I first came back that currently it's only Nerv employees that our returning, so what about the other branches? What about our facilities in the United States and Germany?"

"...I hadn't thought of that, but you raise a good point. It is possible, though I assumed since this is where Third Impact initiated from, that we would bear the brunt of humanities reappearance, though it is possible. Am I correct in assuming you want to contact them via the computers satellite uplink?"

"That is my intention."

"It could work, assuming that Nerv's satellites are still orbiting of course, but I'd be careful as well. Leaving the branch in Germany aside, the United States branch may no longer be under our control. Don't forget that before Tokyo-3 was attacked, each branch was suppressed, and while we know that Germany gave up without a fight and they were sympathetic to us, the United States may be different. I think they have long been in control by Seele."

At Ritsuko's words, Misato narrowed her eyes. "Ritsuko, do you think it possible that Seele could hinder us again?"

"I don't know, but I can't rule it out. Seele is composed of the twelve most powerful men in the world, and though whatever they hoped to accomplish with Instrumentality is likely no longer possible, they may hold contempt for us. For now though, I don't think we have to worry about

them. It will take time for even them to rebuild the power they once had. Meanwhile, I suppose I should head to the Geofront and get started on the computer systems. What are you gonna do?"

"I'll sort out a couple things here, then I plan on going somewhere I've been meaning to for a while."

"Where's that?"

"My old apartment."

After creating a rotating schedule of people visiting the Geofront, Misato drove to her old apartment. She asked Kaji whether he would join her, but he declined. Misato wasn't sure whether he was being considerate to her, since he likely knew why she was going there, but she had wanted him there all the same.

As she drove into the spot she normally parked at, she glanced up to her apartment building. The right side of it was completely destroyed by what she guessed where shells fired from artillery, but her own room appeared unscathed.

Walking up the steps, each seemed heavier than the rest. When she approached her door, out of habit, she reached for her keys, but obviously didn't have them. As she began wondering whether she'd even be able to get in, she saw that the door was already open, but that parts of the door were damaged, riddled with bullet holes. It appeared that the soldiers had come her searching for both Shinji and Asuka at some point.

Pushing the door aside, she stepped into her old apartment and spoke to nobody-

"I'm back..."

Her apartment was destroyed. The living room had been ran sacked, the couch was molding and had numerous bullet holes covering it, and the TV had been shattered. The window itself was also damaged, likely letting the rain in.

The kitchen was little better. The table had been kicked against a corner, and the three chairs were laying upside down, one of the chairs missing its legs. The refrigerator was left open and empty, an all the cabinets were swinging open, the pots and pans that Shinji had bought lay scattered on the floor.

Her own bedroom had likewise been destroyed. Her bed was thrown against a wall, feathers from the mattress littering the carpet thanks to the bullet holes that riddle the mattress. Her dresser and had been turned over, her clothes scattered across the floor, and fragments of glass lay on the ground where he mirror had been shattered. The life that she had once had here was likewise gone.

Leaving her room, she entered the only one that had any stuff left in it, and dreaded the worst. Opening the door, she couldn't help but feel angry at the site she saw. Asuka's room had been ransacked in every way imaginable. Her bed was in tatters, the pillow and mattress torn apart by a stream of bullet holes. Posters that she had hung on the wall had been ripped down. Her

wooden dresser had all the drawers ripped out of it, everything from shirts, pants, and underwear were strewn across the floor. The window that her bed rest under had been shattered, and the curtains had been torn and ripped apart. For some reason, Misato felt more angry here than even her own room. She hated to think of somebody going through this room, destroying everything that Asuka held dear.

As she thought that however, something sprang to her mind. Quickly, she began searching the room, checking on, and under the bed, moving the dresser out of the way, and picking up every article of clothing. Finally, she found what she was looking for under a red shirt. They were no longer within the case, but the earrings that Shinji had given Asuka from the souvenir shop at the aquatic museum were still intact, the blue eyes of the two dolphins gleaming even in the dimness of the room. Misato couldn't help but smile as she examined them, remembering how embarrassed Asuka was when Ritsuko, Kaji, and herself had seen Shinji and Asuka out on what could have been considered a date. It felt like that had happened an eternity ago. She didn't know whether she would ever see Asuka again, but if she was allowed that privilege, she would give these to her.

Pocketing the earrings, she left Asuka's room and paused just as she was about to leave. Glancing over at Shinji's room, she hesitated, unsure whether she wanted to enter. So many things had led to him leaving, and so many memories existed within this space. Misato had been there guardian for a short time, but had watched then grow together. She wished for those moments, wanting to turn back the hands of time to happier moments when they had all lived together. But fate was a cruel thing.

She had made her decision though. Her old life was behind her, and there was no possible way of reclaiming it. Leaving behind everything she had ever accumulated in her life, she left her old apartment with nothing but the earrings.

* * *

><p>Misato awoke early the next morning before the sun had even fully risen, and was currently speeding through the remnants of Tokyo-3. She had been awoken by an engineer who had been working on the cleanup of the Geofront, one of the many. The engineer had been contacted by Ritsuko using the newly reestablished communications within the Geofront, and that she wanted Misato to come to the command center as soon as possible. As such, Misato was hurriedly driving through Tokyo-3, making her way to one of the many gates that connected it to the Geofront.<p>

With nearly a thousand Nerv employees now available to work, they had begun cleaning up the devastation that had been left as a result of the attack. All the gates had been cleared of debris and rubble as well as the many military vehicles. Some of the these were still working, so those personnel experienced with such things had begun storing them on the off chance they could be used.

Driving through one of the largest gates, Misato went deep underground before passing into the Geofront, parking her car in one of the many underground parking lots, and then used the stairs to ascend to the command level. Many of the elevators were still not working, but this was a matter of sabotage instead of lack electricity.

Each person she passed greeted her in a polite manner, and Misato was glad to see that Nerv was essentially functioning once again, even under these strenuous circumstances. Finally arriving at the commander center, Misato immediately spotted Ritsuko working at one of the three main Nerv computers, the Magi, developed by Ritsuko's mother.

"How's it coming?" asked Misato as she approached Ritsuko who was currently in a sitting position while her eyes were focused on a laptop in front of her.

"Alright, all things considered. Coffee?" she then asked, pointing to pot casually plugged into an outlet against the wall. "I just finished brewing it."

"Thanks," said Misato, thinking it was exactly what she needed. She couldn't help but smell the stale smell of tobacco filling the air and noticed an ashtray not far from Ritsuko with several cigarettes crushed within it.

"Have you slept at all yet?" asked Misato after she had filled a cup.

"For about two hours earlier, but taking a shower woke me up the most." replied Ritsuko.

"I'll have to make it a point of doing that myself before I leave. So, what was it you wanted me here for? Did you manage to make contact with another branch?"

"No, but I haven't actually tried yet either. This is something else."

Setting the laptop on the ground, Ritsuko walked around to one of the other Magi, and came back hefting a large stack of paper, and set them down in front of Misato.

"What is all this?" asked Misato as she knelt down to get a closer look.

"Though the computer systems may have been off, they still catalog every date logged, no different then how a personnel computer accounts for the days passed after you haven't turned then on for a few days."

"Then what is all this paper for."

"Unfortunately I haven't managed to get the graphical displays up yet, but the system just finished rebooting a few hours ago. I tested a print log to make sure they were functioning properly, and all but Casper is working properly. I suspect there may have been some corrosion in the copper wires, but will be easily replaced. After testing the print log however, I tried something else, and got what you see in front of you."

"And what is this exactly?"

"Check the log on that first paper and you'll understand what I mean Misato."

Misato did so, looking at the first line. The writing was so small that she had to squint slightly to see it. At the top of the page was the date-

"September 09, 2015," she spoke slowly, beginning to realized what she was seeing.

"The date that Nerv was attacked by the coalition of nations. I first ran this on Balthasar, and then Melchior, but I got the same results."

Misato had stopped listening however, and had already begun frantically going through the large stack of papers. Every single line after the last logged date had only a single dash marking each subsequent day that passed. Eventually, Misato tore through the stack to reach the bottom quicker, and read aloud the next date logged.

"March 02, 2022."

Misato stared long and hard at this date, hoping that the words displayed would suddenly shift to something that she could wrap her mind around, but Ritsuko spoke instead.

"I've been through the pages multiple times already, but there isn't a single date besides those two. The date there, would be today, the first time the computer systems were turned on in-"

"Almost seven years," Misato spoke for her. Seven years? How was that possible? Even if it had been two years, Misato could have wrapped her mind around that as much as she wouldn't want to believe it...but seven...

"Ritsuko," started Misato, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "is it possible that this is somehow wrong?"

"It's possible, but fairly remote. Without Casper online, I can't be one hundred percent sure, but my mother built the Magi to compliment yet clash with one another. Without all three, a general consensus can't be reached, but since both Balthasar and Melchior reached the same conclusion, I believe this date is true. It would explain what we've seen with regards to the environment."

"But why? Almost seven years without humans on earth, why that long?"

"I don't know, and I have to admit that it is hard to stomach this truth, but Misato, the real reason I wanted you to personally see this and couldn't trust anybody else is because we can't let people know about this, not a single person. It could quickly destroy everything that we've accomplished in this short time."

Misato wanted to say something in this regard, but knew that Ritsuko was right. They had to keep this in the dark for the time being, but it would eventually come to light. The evidence was after all, all around them, and many people had already wondered about this very thing.

"What about Kaji?"

"You can tell him, he can handle this much without a problem."

"What about the other computer systems here at Nerv though? Plenty of personnel computers will show the same dates."

"Before I fully bring the systems back up, I'll write an algorithm to change all the systems to a more...feasible date, and I've already begun confiscating any laptops around the Geofront I find. I

know that it's only a matter of time before this gets out, but we can limit the fallout by rebuilding everything in the meantime. Of course, the possibility of the other branches finding out about this are very high, though that's of course if other humans exist on the planet besides here."

"And how soon do you think we can try and contact the other branches, the one in Germany at the very least?"

"Once Casper is fixed, and the algorithm written, I can try contacting them via satellite communication. If I can identify the problem with Casper, then I'd estimate three or four days."

"...well, I don't think I could ask for more from you right now. Thanks for letting me know, and try and get some sleep if you can; your eyes are bloodshot."

"And I think before you do anything else, you should take a shower, or a bath might be more relaxing," smirked Ritsuko.

"Yeah, I should," said Misato with a sigh. "Keep me updated if you find anything."

"Will do," said Ritsuko as she turned back to her laptop.

After finishing this conversation, Misato took the stairwell down to one of the lower levels where the residential areas were. These were largely for important personnel or diplomats.

As Ritsuko had suggested, Misato took a bath, forgetting what this sort of relaxation felt like. From the moment she had returned, it had been one thing or another and she was glad to have time to herself, time to think. Food was the biggest problem right now, and while the fields above Tokyo-3 had been a great discovery, was it truly sufficient to keep them alive for long? There were plenty of canned foods that could be found just scavenging the stores, but how long would that last, especially with people returning every day. Fish was something they could acquire in large quantities as far as meat went, but the Nerv personnel weren't cut out for that sort of work.

After spending nearly half an hour soaking in the bathtub, Misato stepped out and dried herself off, glad that there was a hair dryer available to her.

Leaving Nerv didn't take long, and she was soon back at the camp, already getting reports as she drove to her own tent, which had been designated as the commanders tent.

As she pulled up and parked near it, she spotted Kaji sitting on a chair just outside her tent, smoking a cigarette and reading a book.

"Any good?" asked Misato as she stepped out of the jeep.

"Not really, but it helps pass the time," sad Kaji as he set it down.

"Come in, I have something to discuss with you," said Misato as she passed him and ducked into the tent.

Kaji followed, and just as he stepped into the tent, he said, "You took a shower I see."

"It was a bath actually, and how did you know?"

"I could smell the shampoo."

Misato wasn't sure how to reply to that. She hadn't forgotten the relationship she had once had with Kaji, or the words spoken between them just before they had died, but now wasn't the time to dredge up past feelings.

"I was with Ritsuko."

"So I heard. And? Did she manage to get the computers up and running?"

Misato then launched into the discussion that she had had with Ritsuko, ending it with the reality of how much time had passed since they were last on the earth. Kaji didn't say anything, but he didn't look particularly shocked either.

"You don't seem surprised."

"I am, but I also somewhat expected this. It accounts for the changes that we've seen."

"Ritsuko said the same thing, but what I want to know is why? Why seven years? Why have we returned now?"

"Who knows," shrugged Kaji. "And does it really matter even if seven years have passed? Sure, rebuilding everything is going to take time, likely several years altogether, but we're back, so there's no sense worrying about why, or how. The only thing we can do now is move forward."

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"I do. Whether this was all planned or not doesn't matter to me all that much."

"That may be your opinion, but I can't help but worry."

Silence engulfed then as Misato and Kaji sat beside each other. Slowly, Kaji glanced over at Misato and saw that she was bent over, looking at the ground. He wasn't sure where his feelings lay with regards to her right now, but felt that he should at least try and comfort her. Raising up his right hand, he rested it on top of her head, and gently leaned her body towards his.

"Right now, do what only you can do, and let other people shoulder the rest of the burden. You may be the person everybody is looking towards for help, but don't forget that you're not alone. You have both myself and Ritsuko to help you along this path."

At that moment, footsteps approached the tent, and someone began calling for Misato. Straightening herself up hurriedly, Misato turned back towards Kaji and whispered a quick, "thank you," before she left the tent to attend to more important matters.

Kaji continued sitting alone in the tent, waiting for his own moment to get up. Some people knew of his and Misato's prior relationship, but it was best to not start any rumors.

"Even though I said that, I feel like Misato needs more than just myself and Ritsuko to help her," he mumbled.

Standing up, he left the tent and looked up to the blue sky.

"Hurry up and return you two," he said.

* * *

><p>Time passed slowly for the people who had returned, but they all soldiered on. Nerv employees continued returning, and soon their numbers had reached over one thousand. Truck loads of fruits began being shipped to both the Geofront and the camp, but the majority of it was kept at the Geofront for preservation purposes. Most people had begun creating residences in the Geofront, but a contingency was kept at the beach for the people that kept returning. Nearly a month after the first humans had reappeared on the beaches however, one day, nobody had returned. Patrols were expanded to cover more of the beach, driving up and down the beachfront, but nobody was found. At this point, Ritsuko deduced that they had reached the end of the Nerv personnel who would be returning. While the number was smaller than the dossier list of people that Nerv had employed, Ritsuko guessed that civilians would begin returning soon.<p>

The computers were up and running, and all the dates had been configured to show the date as late March in 2017, though it was really 2022. While they had managed to connect the Nerv computers to the satellites circling the earth that were affiliated with Nerv, they had not managed to get in touch with the facility in Germany. Despite this, Misato still tried to contact them once a day without fail. On the bright side, they had managed to find a couple radios capable of long distance communication via satellite. Misato and Ritsuko both had one with them at all times incase of emergencies, and the rest were split up between the Geofront and the campsite.

As March ended, and April began, the first civilians returned. Ritsuko had gotten a call from one of the patrols on the beach notifying her of this, and had immediately left the Geofront, getting in touch with Misato as she did do. Misato had been away on a trip north of Tokyo-3 where somebody had found a large farm of Japanese cows, most of which were old, but food was needed after all. Before Misato could make an adequate decision however, she was pulled back to the camp in a hurry.

Arriving at the camp nearly an hour after Ritsuko had informed her, she took the familiar path to Ritsuko tent, but paused as she heard unfamiliar voices coming from inside. She was fluent in both English and German as foreign languages, but she didn't understand what was being said, though she recognized it as Chinese.

Quietly, she poked her head into the flap, and saw Ritsuko sitting beside a man who was laying on a bed, and another unfamiliar man sitting beside her. When Ritsuko noticed her presence, she said something to the guy beside her and stood up, greeting Misato, and the two of them stepped outside.

"What's going on?" asked Misato the moment they had stepped away. "Is that man laying down the civilian?"

"He is, though I didn't account for the possibility of a language barrier."

"Is he Chinese? I thought I recognized some of the words."

"He is, and it's a good thing that we have a few employees who are Chinese, otherwise we might have had a problem. He was violent when the patrol first found him, and they nearly had to drag him back to the camp, but that's understandable."

"How is he doing?"

"Better now. Once somebody was found to translate, we managed to calm him down, and then I began explaining things to him."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth, or part of it at least. Nuclear holocaust wouldn't suffice, so I only gave him enough information that would convince him. Basically the vaguest about Third Impact and Nerv's role as well as its affiliation with the United Nations, though I left out everything about the Evangelions and Angels. He was skeptical at first, but having a fellow countryman reassuring him helped."

"So how do we go from here?"

"That's actually the good news. From talking with him, we've learned that he was part of a small fishing village off the coast of the South China Sea. He knows a lot about fishing, so I think we can guarantee a sizable income of fish if more like him return."

"Ritsuko that's-"

"Exactly what we needed, I know. I'm almost positive now that something is, or has, prearranged all this for us. I think we can assume that the first civilians that will be returning are those who's skills are related to agriculture or food production in some way. How were the cows?"

"I don't think they're something to eat. A couple corpses were found in the field, and a lot of them looked sickly, though I'm no farmer, so I'm not sure."

"At least we'll have fish," sighed Ritsuko.

"Once more farmers return, we can start worrying about rice and fruit production, though rice should be first. Any luck with the other Nerv facilities?"

"No, and I'm starting to think that it won't be possible."

"If there is some other force at work here though, surely they would have accounted for an overcrowding problem here and food shortages if we get to many people."

"...You have a point. Suppose I'll keep trying. In the meantime, we just have to wait for more people that can assist with food production to return."

"That's all we can do," said Misato, but she was wondering something else. If the Nerv employees had stopped returning, and civilians would now begin reappearing, then where were Shinji, Asuka, and Rei?"

* * *

><p>The civilians began returning slowly in twos and threes, but soon, nearly ten would arrive in the beach every day.. Due to the possibility of language barriers, Misato had decided that the patrols would now consist of people that were fluent in multiple languages. As the civilians continued returning though, it became apparent that nearly all the civilians were from Asian backgrounds. With this in mind, Ritsuko began guessing that Tokyo-3 would manage the civilians from Asia, the German branch would be in charge of Europe and the Middle East, and that the United States branch would be in charge of North and South America.<p>

Finally, around mid April, a month and a half since humans had returned, Ritsuko managed to get a secure satellite communication with the Germany branch situated in Berlin. Calling Misato to the Geofront immediately, she arrived at the commander center late in the evening after receiving a report about the first fishing haul.

Stepping out of the elevator doors which had recently been fixed, she walked over to Ritsuko who was waiting in front of a computer. They only had voice communications operable for now, but even this was a massive improvement.

"Have you talked to them at all yet?" asked Misato as she approached Ritsuko.

"Just brief greetings. The mans name is Alexander, though Alex is fine he said, and he's in charge of the research center in our German branch."

"When was the call received?"

"About thirty minutes ago. Nobody else knows about this."

"Good. I'll take it from here."

Taking the seat that Ritsuko had just vacated, Misato flipped a switch on the control panel, turning the communications on.

"This is Major Misato Katsuragi currently in charge here in Tokyo-3. Can you hear me Alex?" spoke Misato into the microphone.

"Loud an clear," came the return voice. Judging by his voice, Misato would place his age anywhere between thirty-five and fifty, but she wasn't about to ask. She had more important things to discuss.

"Can you give me a status report on the situation over there."

"Yeah, I'm just glad we've managed to get in touch with other humans." Clearing his voice, Alex continued. "It's been twenty-one days now since the first humans, Nerv employees I should say, started returning. The city is mostly intact, but, the water levels of the river Spree which runs

through Berlin have risen, so certain sections of the city have flooded, but this is also where people started returning from. Currently we have a little more than five hundred people here, and most of our efforts were initially devoted to securing food and other supplies. Afterwards, we began wondering about the possibilities of other humans, particularly in Tokyo-3 living and decided to try contacting you. Owing to the coalition of nations attack against us however, and our surrender, both our computers and power generators were taken off line, and we've only just managed to get both online within the past three days.

"Do you have stable food production?"

"As it stand, we're currently rationing things, but if civilians start returning, we're not sure how we'll fair."

"We've already got civilians on our end returning, but all of them so far have been fisherman."

"What we need is people with agriculture experience more than anything. Most of our people are engineers. But what are things like on your end? What happened to Gendo Ikari? Why isn't he in charge? I've heard of you Major Katsuragi, and Dr. Akagi, and I can assume that you know the most about what happened in Tokyo-3."

"How much do you know?"

"If you mean about Third Impact the Evangelions, and the Angels, then I suppose I know the same as you did. I wasn't part of the team that initially developed the Evangelions, but I was part of the team that helped with Unit 02's development. What happened at Tokyo-3 though when it was attacked?"

Misato paused and glanced over at Ritsuko. She just shrugged however; there didn't seem to be any problem telling him the entire story, so Misato recounted everything she could remember, and what she had been told about the attack on Tokyo-3.

When she was finished, Alex was silent on the other end for a moment before he confirmed something.

"And this is After Impact then?"

"Yes."

"But you have no idea why humans have returned?"

"We think there is something at work which we don't understand which has either planned all this out, or is moving things as we speak, but we don't know why we have returned or how."

"...And I assume that you have realized what the date is?" asked Alex quietly.

"...We have," said Misato, "but currently only three people including myself know of this."

"It looks like I was right in keeping that to myself," mumbled Alex. "So what are your plans currently?"

"Food production is still the most important, but once we have that at sustainable levels, we plan on restoring Tokyo-3's infrastructure."

"We have similar goals, though food is the most pressing concern."

"I think once the civilians return, you won't have to worry about that. From what we've seen, whatever force brought us back, is also assisting us."

"I hope that's true," said Alex.

They continued talking with each other for nearly an hour. Discussing the possibility of joint operations, or simple visits, but they each had their own problems to worry about currently. Eventually, they settled on discussing changes once a week and left it at that, but Misato had one last thing to add.

"Have you heard anything from the United States facility in Massachusetts?"

"No, and I was going to ask you the same actually, but I take that to mean you haven't either?"

"No, and if by chance they do try and contact you, do not answer under any circumstances. We have reason to believe that they may have leaked information about us to the coalition of nations. If Berlin is back, then it's enough to assume that the site in Massachusetts is as well."

"Very well, I'll keep that in mind."

Saying their goodbyes, both Misato and Alex returned to their duties, but Misato quickly turned to Ritsuko and asked, "So, what do you think?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing, but it seems like we can trust him."

"I was thinking the same thing, but it's probably best to keep a couple things to ourselves." Misato had deliberately left out anything referring to Shinji's abilities during the battle since this was still a subject that not many people knew about.

"Well, I'll check back in with Alex in a week. How much of the Geofront has been rebuilt?"

"Dogma is mostly repaired, though we haven't checked the very lowest levels yet, so we can't be sure. Other that, the Geofront needs some repairs to its foundation due to Unit 01 tearing up the soil, and of course the hole from the N2 bomb needs repairing, but that will take several months. With more civilians returning everyday, we may be able to speed up things if they are engineers or construction workers."

"Things are progressing smoothly so far."

"If the United States facility is up and running however, we need to be careful. Seele could be taking action soon."

"What can they do from across the ocean though?"

"Launch fighters with tactical nukes for starters."

"Are you suggesting we start preparing defenses for ourselves?"

"It's only a thought, but I don't think they'll go that far to destroy us."

"I'll have to consider it I suppose," sighed Misato, adding it to her list of things to keep in mind. They knew they weren't the only humans on earth anymore, but humanity still had a long ways to go before it returned to its glory days.

* * *

><p>Five days later, on the 20th of April, Misato received an urgent communications from Ritsuko. She hasn't specified what it was, only that Misato's presence was required, and that not even Kaji could come. So, before the sun had even appeared on the horizon, Misato was stepping into the jeep she frequently drove, and sped her way to the Geofront.<p>

Misato could tell from Ritsuko's voice that something was wrong. She hadn't said what, but the waver in her voice was undeniable. Had the United States branch tried to contact them? Had Seele been involved somehow? Questions continued erupting in Misato's mind, right up until she stepped out of the elevator and into the command center.

Ritsuko was standing beside one of the main consoles, her eyes roving over the screen, and she didn't even notice Misato until she stood beside her.

"What's wrong?" asked Misato. "Is it something to do with Seele?"

"No, and I almost wish it was. Just under an hour ago, the Magi detected an anomaly which they identified as pattern blue."

Misato froze, thinking that she had misheard. "Ritsuko, the Angels are-"

"Supposed to be gone, I know, but they may not be either. Tabris was supposed to be the last one, but the Magi are correct. It was only for a brief moment, but it's been confirmed."

"Where at?" asked Misato, trying to keep calm.

"North of Kyoto about ten miles."

Misato didn't say anything, running this alarming information through her head. An Angel here? But why now of all times? It didn't make any sense. And why Kyoto and not Tokyo-3?

"Ritsuko, what are we gonna do about this?"

"...I was actually hoping you had an answer, because I've no idea how to handle this. No Evangelions means we haven't the power to suppress it, and even if we did, there isn't any children which fit the criteria required to pilot one."

"So what do we do?"

Sighing, Ritsuko said, "The way I see it, we have two options. We can either ignore this, pretending that it never happened and hope for the best, or we can send a specialized team to investigate this."

"I don't like either option. Leaving the first aside, how would we explain going to Kyoto?"

"Make something up of course, if we go that route. If an Angel were to come here suddenly, it would spell the end of what we've accomplished. Wide spread panic, people killing each other, though of course we may all die."

"So you're saying we have no other option but to investigate this?"

"Basically," replied Ritsuko with a small smile.

Misato didn't know how to deal with this situation, and for the first time, wished that they still had the Evangelions. It was impossible to fight an Angel without them after all. Even so, they needed to know more about this either way, especially if it posed a threat to them.

"I'll need to assemble a team then, people that have had experience during the attack and that can follow orders to the letter. It'll need to be a small team, eight people at the most, and well outfitted."

"Weapons?"

"Precautionary at the most; the conventional weapons we possess won't even phase an Angel. Can you get me a list of the most experienced people that have returned?"

"I'll get on it, but it sounds as though you plan on taking part in this as well."

"I do. I'm not gonna bunker down here and wait to hear reports."

Ritsuko looked like she disapproved of this, but didn't say anything further on the subject, only nodding.

* * *

><p>The following day, Misato had ten people in her tent, the eight that she had selected based on the roster that Ritsuko had drawn up, and one other person who she rather hadn't known of this.<p>

The eight men were all in there thirties, with the leader of the group nearly forty. They were all dressed casually for now, but that would change as soon as they set out. Basic combat gear had been chosen that emphasized movement over protection. They were there to investigate after all and not fight a war.

Misato went over the operation, giving very minute details about everything. It was strictly on a need to know basis, so all of them were in the dark until they got close to there destination. While each was given a radio, they were only used for communicating with each other or her.

After giving her orders, she told them to go wait until she was done dealing with a few things and after they left, she rounded on the other person who had been waiting for her.

"What are you doing here Kaji?" asked Misato clearly irritated.

"What, no thanks for tagging along?"

"Did Ritsuko put you up to this?"

"You guessed right, and I can't blame her for telling me. She was worried about you, as am I."

"So no matter what I say, you plan on following me?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever. If you're set, then let's get going."

Leaving the tent, they stepped into Misato's jeep and started it. Misato didn't bother with combat gear like the eight soldiers, and only had a sidearm which she had stashed in the glovebox. Kaji brought a sidearm with him as well, but neither believed that they'd be required to use it.

Leaving the campsite, they drove into what remained of downtown Tokyo-3 to the spot they had agreed to meet with the soldiers. There would be three vehicles, two of which were Humvee's with light armor plating used by the opposing soldiers during the attack on Nerv. It could stop low caliber bullets, but anything else would rip through it like paper. They had been prepared in secret so as not to alarm the rest of the population or create unnecessary questions, so they were meeting them at this undisclosed location.

As Misato drove around the corner where she had specified the location however, she immediately stopped on the brake, bringing the jeep to a sudden stop. Something was clearly wrong, and Misato didn't need to tell this to Kaji.

Eight vehicles were all parked on the street, but there was clearly something missing. Getting out of the jeep, Misato and Kaji walked over to the vehicles and peered passed them, when Misato suddenly swore.

"God damn it," she groaned.

The two Humvee's which should have been parked waiting to leave, and the eight soldiers were no where in sight.

"Fuck!" Misato shouted, her voice bellowing to the sky. Where the hell were they? Running back to the jeep, she grabbed the satellite radio out of the jeep and tried contacting.

"This is Misato! Where the fuck are you?" Unfortunately, all she got was static.

Chucking the radio back into the jeep, she grabbed the gun out of her glovebox, and using the butt, smashed the windows in of the eight vehicles that were left there, hoping to find some evidence. All the casual clothes that the soldiers had been wearing earlier were discovered, but there was no note or anything for where they had gone.

Grabbing the radio again, she call Ritsuko multiple times until she was nearly screaming before Ritsuko finally picked it up.

"Misato what-"

"My team is gone! Disappeared! They took the Humvee's and left!"

"Slow down Misato. Tell me what happened."

"Because of you pushing Kaji onto me, the eight soldiers disappeared with the Humvee's before I got here."

Ignoring what Misato said about Kaji, Ritsuko asked, "Have you tried contacting them on the radio."

"What do you think I just tried before I contacted you!?"

"So what are you suggesting, desertion?"

"I don't know, and they can't know where to even go since I never told them."

"Is it possible that they learned somehow?"

"I don't think so but-"

Misato paused, suddenly having an idea.

"Ritsuko, you said before that the computers log every time that they're used. Can you check something for me?"

Understanding what she meant, Ritsuko hurriedly checked, and came back with the bad news.

"Yesterday, at eleven at night, there was an unauthorized log. During this time, there was a communication log between someone at the command center, and an outside source. Unfortunately I can't pull it up. The other side deleted any traces of the conversation."

"We should have been more careful," said Misato in anger. "This is likely related to Seele."

"It seems so. But what does Seele hope to gain from this?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. Keep digging and see if you can find anything about the source of the communication, I've got some catching up to do."

"Got it," said Ritsuko.

Disconnecting the call, Misato jumped into the jeep and started the car, putting the gun back in the glovebox. Kaji followed, who had been silent so far, but now he spoke his mind.

"You may want to keep that nearby as you might need it."

"You don't think it'll come to that, do you?"

"It's possible that all the soldiers are involved in this, or it might just be one of them. If so, the commanding officer would be the most likely. Either way, it's best not to take any chances."

Agreeing with this judgment, Misato kept the gun on the dash of the jeep as she sped passed the abandoned vehicles.

* * *

><p>There was a certain nervous energy that filled the two Humvee's as they barreled there way along the highway separating Tokyo-3 and Kyoto, something which the leader couldn't help but notice. The sergeant had been employed at the Nerv branch in Tokyo-3 for five years, and he was close to pushing forty now. He had been part of the peace keeping force within the United Nations before being reassigned to work at Nerv, and while Nerv had its own personal security team, it employed very few soldiers.<p>

Glancing around the Humvee, he examined the three others that were with him. He knew them of course, though this was only with regards to their accomplishments and past. He had been part of a very small team that had defended the command center during the attack on Nerv, but had never entered combat with the people here. They didn't know him, and he didn't know them, but so was the way things played out. Still, as the commanding officer, they were required to follow him, even if they didn't agree with his decisions.

The initial problem of course came with Major Katsuragi's orders. He had to silence her somehow, at least to prevent any radio chatter. To do this, once all of them had geared up and were waiting for her to arrive, he decided to tell them the truth of this operation, that they were investigating the possibility of an Angel being found. Sometimes the truth, even if it was undesirable was the best way to gain trust. While some questioned him, he answered that the major had given him the extra details beforehand, and that she requested him to relay her orders to them once gathered. This raised some questions, but they believed their superiors orders. In doing so, he was able to turn off all the radios to prevent any of them checking this explanation of his.

Still, investigating the possibility of an Angel wasn't something the others had expected, and they were doing whatever they could to keep there mind of it. Some chewed gum, some smoked, while some simply fidgeted in their seats. This was all fine as most soldiers, however much they would deny it, would be nervous going into combat. But a job was a job, and if they could get all the antsy feelings out beforehand, so much the better. He didn't need to deal with a mental breakdown.

Time was not on his side however, and he knew he only had about ten minutes to carry out the mission he had received before Major Katsuragi interfered.

* * *

><p>Misato nearly rolled the jeep multiples time as she sped along the corners doting the highway between Tokyo-3 and Kyoto. Kaji tried to calm her down several times, but this seemed to only anger her further. She was seething at how she could have let this happen. The sergeant had something else he intended to do, some other orders that he had received. Even if Seele was involved with this, what did they hope to accomplish by viewing this Angel? It didn't make any sense!<p>

Maybe there was something in Kyoto that Seele wanted? Was it possible that one of the Mass-Produced Evangelions had somehow ended up there, or worse, had Unit 01 finished its battle there? If that was true, then they would have seen more destruction leading to Kyoto, but the landscape was largely intact. No, it had to be something else.

She has the catch up to the Humvee's. She wasn't sure what she could accomplish with only herself and Kaji, but maybe she could persuade them to turn back from whatever they were trying to accomplish. If it came to armed combat, she wasn't sure how useful two handguns would be against soldiers that had training ingrained into their very souls.

* * *

><p>More than an hour later, the two Humvee's entered the city limits of Kyoto. The last portion of the drive had been far easier than expected as the road ways were largely clear of cars that had been pushed off to the side. The sergeant wondered about this, but didn't mention it to the others.<p>

Merging onto a different highway, they started heading north. The sergeant had the coordinates and he directed the driver, one of the other soldiers in the direction to head. Soon, civilization began to disappear behind them and farmland sprung up alongside them.

They drove for another five minutes before the sergeant ordered the driver to turn off, taking an off ramp up and taking a right onto a two lane road. The area here was wide open, with farmland stretching on either side of them. Driving for another five minutes, they passed a sign indicating they were entering a small town.

"Five minutes out," declared the sergeant. Sticking his hand out the window, he gestured with his hand to the Humvee behind them that they were five minutes away from the site. Including himself, the other seven soldiers started preparing, checking their automatic rifles, the gear that was strapped to them, and assisting each other as needed. The nervousness was starting to disappear, replaced with a cold calm.

Taking a left, they entered the small town, hardly paying attention to the small buildings they passed. Ascending a small hill, they entered a residential area, but quickly turned right, and up another hill. Passing under a group of trees, the houses disappeared from their sight, and trees lined them on either side, rows of them going up into the hills above them. Driving for another minute, the first Humvee turned right onto a narrow road.

"Thirty seconds," said the sergeant, simultaneously gesturing out the window to the Humvee behind them.

It was almost time.

* * *

><p>Misato turned onto the highway, gunning the jeep forward and directing it northward. She hadn't seen any sign of the Humvee's, but while passing the many cars which were crunched against the guardrail on the way here, she felt that something was amiss. Even if the Humvee's had managed to push the cars off to the side, it would have slowed them down considerably. So what was the answer to this then?<p>

"Hey Kaji?"

"Hmm?"

They had been relatively silent with each other while Misato drove, but now she wanted to talk.

"...If something happens to one of us-"

"Don't mention something like that. Besides, I'm starting to get a feeling of deja vu that I don't like. Just continue driving. Whatever happens, happens."

Misato glanced over at him briefly before returning her eyes to the road. They were almost there Misato knew, but she was slightly afraid of what she might find when they got there.

* * *

><p>The two vehicles slowly descended the hill. The soldiers were now on heavy alert, ready for anything which might suddenly try and attack them, but the sergeant was relatively calm. His eyes were locked on a house barely visible through a group of trees at a fork at the bottom of the hill.<p>

They turned left slowly, seven weapons pointed out of the various windows of the Humvee's, looking through the dense trees.

"I think I see something," suddenly said one of the soldiers near the sergeant.

"Pull into the driveway here," said the sergeant checking the magazine in his rifle one final time.

The two vehicles pulled into the driveway, parking alongside each other. The house in front of them was two stories and had grey siding with two windows facing the driveway. The yard was moderate in size, but they hardly noticed these things. All eyes were locked on a figure standing in the middle of the driveway.

The soldiers slowly stepped out, each of their guns pointed at the figure. None of them had expected this development, none except the sergeant at least. Striding forward ahead of the other seven, he kept his gun trained at his target and asked in a loud voice that everyone in the vicinity could hear.

"Are you the Angel we were told to capture?"

The person didn't respond, but the other seven soldiers tensed themselves, gripping their guns tighter. They hadn't expected the Angel to be a person, but they didn't rightfully understand what

an Angel was in the first case. It was likely trying to deceive them by posing as a human is what their minds told them. Tension filled the air as they stared at the figure standing before them. The figure looked just like a young man, but they all could tell that something was off about him. Sweat began dripping down their faces, and they slowly adjusted their aim to the figures head.

"I'll ask again," started the sergeant, "are you-"

"I'm only going to give you one chance. Leave now," spoke the figure quietly, but his voice carried in such a way that each of the soldiers knew. The figure had his hands in his pockets, but his words spoke volumes of what would happen if they tried anything.

Many of the soldiers paused, second guessing what they were doing. What about Major Katsuragi? Shouldn't they wait for her until they do anything?

The sergeant felt the other soldiers beginning to waver, but he had to give them a push forward.

"We can't wait for Major Katsuragi, we don't have the time to consider other options. This...thing, who knows what it could do if we let it go. Tokyo-3 will be in danger if we don't stop it here and now."

The sergeant knew otherwise of course. What his real purpose here was something which he couldn't tell the other soldiers. He had received orders to capture, or failing to do so, kill this thing, this human at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing everyone here.

He had heard rumors, rumors about the special existence of this thing that Nerv had done its best to conceal from the lower employees. He had other superiors however, who told him the truth. Everything was just a ruse, a fabrication that Nerv had created, but this thing was still special, that much was apparent. He was ordered to capture it, or if that proved impossible, to kill it. He had no idea what his superiors wanted this thing for, but that it was unique in someway. He had been promised a special position in the new world that they would be creating, and he was sick of his current life.

"It seems like you won't listen," said the figure with a small sigh.

At his words, a strong wind blew through the driveway, shaking the pine trees and bushes. His shaggy hair blew in the wind, and his eyes seemed to darken suddenly.

Readjusting his own rifle, the sergeant aimed his gun at the figures head. Motioning to the men behind him with a jerk of his head, eight fingers slowly depressed the trigger on eight automatic rifles and...

Fired.

Bullets erupted out of the cylindrical barrels of the automatic rifles, each carving a path through the air towards the figures head. In less than a second, the figures head would explode, brain matter and skull fragments scattering across the ground and painting the garage door behind him a bloody red. At least, this is what was supposed to happen.

A flash of orange exploded around the person, a dome projecting around him. The bullets instantly vaporized as they came in contact with the strange energy. The soldiers had barely fired their guns before they were given time to react to this absurd phenomenon, but the person in front of them was still standing, unscathed. He hadn't even moved, gave no inclination that he had even done anything, but the strange dome surrounded him completely; his hands were still in his pockets.

"Don't let him faze you! Keep firing!" bellowed the sergeant.

The initial shock quickly wore off, and the soldiers continued firing, bullets whizzing through the air. For all their attempts though, it was altogether pointless. The orange dome destroyed the bullets the moment they came in contact with it.

Spending all their bullets in the first magazine, they began reloading, but this was when the person struck back. Like a whip with a mind of its own, a large spear thrust out from the middle of the dome, weaving its way at high speeds until it struck its target, impaling one of the soldiers that was having difficulty reloading. His body was raised up in the air, blood dripping out from the large hole in his abdomen, and then flung almost casually away where it struck a nearby tree. His body lay motionless as blood continue flowing.

"Shit!" exclaimed the sergeant. "Spread out and surround him! Don't bunch up!"

The soldiers spread out in all directions, surrounding the person, continuing to fire their guns. A hail of bullets erupted around the figure, but the orange dome protected him from every direction.

'Shit!' thought the sergeant as he watched the impossible sight before his eyes. 'This wasn't how things were supposed to be. What the fuck were those people saying that it was all a lie!?'

As he thought this however, gaps started to appear in the dome. The soldiers briefly thought that they had finally begun wearing down the strange dome and began adjusted their guns to aim for the narrow gaps that opened up, but each time the bullets were deflected as the gaps were shorn up. It was like they were being taunted, or that the strange orange energy had a mind of his own.

Next second, the dome shifted. From the center, a circular blade similar to a saw blade whipped outward, still connected to the dome, darting its way to one of the soldiers. Screaming wildly, a flurry of bullets assaulted the orange blade, but to no avail. The blade bisected the soldiers body at the waist, cutting him cleanly in half. A fountain of blood erupted from the two halves that were cut, as his upper half went flying through the air, his finger still squeezing the trigger where it eventfully fell to the pavement with a thud. His lower body fell backwards, the legs sticking outwards, blood dribbling down the driveway.

The remaining soldiers began to be panic stricken, firing wildly. This thing, this monster was picking them off without a second thought almost casually as though he didn't even view them as living beings. How were they supposed to fight something like this? How was anybody supposed to stand up and deal with this situation?

Quick as a flash, there thoughts were interrupted as a large wall surged outward from the center of the orange dome, crashing against another soldier. The gun he held in his hand was crushed instantly, and the arm which held it spiraled backwards as a sickening crunch filled the air. He didn't even have enough time to scream while the bones in his arm were crushed, since his entire body was being pulverized like a butcher flattening a piece of raw beef.

The wall sent his body flying backwards, the lightweight armor he had offering no protection. His torso contorted, the organs inside him crushed under the immense pressure, and his ribcage collapsed on itself, puncturing both his lungs. Blood spilled out of his mouth, or what was vaguely recognized as a mouth since his face was nothing but a bloody husk. His skull fragmented in multiple places, the blood vessels in his eyes popping as he went reeling backwards through the air. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The remaining five soldiers watched this in horror, unable to move or make a sound as they watched another of there comrades fall. Regaining his senses, one of the soldiers screamed in fury, and then grabbed something that was attached to his vest.

"Die you fucking monster!" he screamed as he pulled the pin on of the frag grenade, reeling his arm back to throw it. Suddenly, he felt a feeling of weightlessness assault his right arm. Why should that be? He had thought he swung his arm forward intending to throw the grenade at the monster in front of him, but now he didn't feel anything from his right side.

His eyes caught something in the air, and he glanced upwards just in time to see something spinning through the air and then land at his feet. It was an arm and at the end was a grenade tightly clutched in a hand. Wondering where it had come from, he glanced to his right side, his face draining of color as he saw flesh and bone sticking out of his shoulder. As realization dawned on him, he opened his mouth to scream, and then the grenade went off at his feet.

His severed arm instantly disappeared, and the flesh on his legs was ripped off, fragments of metal from the grenade peppering his entire body. Coupled with the blood flowing from his shoulder, he dropped to the ground and passed out from blood loss, dying in a matter of seconds.

This wasn't the only casualty as a result of the grenade. The soldier who was closest to him, who stood perhaps ten feet away wasn't caught in the initial blast, but the shrapnel from the explosion peppered his body all the same.

Chunks of metal cut into his arms, legs, and gouged out deep rivets in his face leaving it pockmarked. He screamed shrilly as blood began pouring down his face, turning his vision red as it got into his eyes. He dropped his gun and his hands grabbed at his neck were a deep laceration had cut into his throat; blood began bubbling out of his mouth, silencing his screams.

Completely paralyzed with fear over his impending death, he didn't even notice the multiple orange blades which came whipping towards him until they had pierced his chest, destroying his internal organs and effectively putting him out of his misery.

In less than five minutes since they had started shooting, the soldiers numbers had dropped from eight, to three. The sergeant couldn't believe how quickly there numbers had dwindled.

Sure, he had been prepared to lose a few, but not in this short of a time. This creature in front of him was inhuman, and he knew now that he had been lied to.

The words 'retreat' were half formed on his lips before he heard a sudden scream come from his left. One of the soldiers had clearly lost what little mental restraint he had maintained, and had dropped his gun, running at full sprint back to the Humvee's parked at the end of the driveway. The second soldier followed without so much as a glance at him, and the sergeant admitted that the operation was a failure.

Turning and running back himself, he watched the first soldier jump into the driver seat, and thought that he would immediately gun in backwards. The second soldier clambered up into the cab, swinging alongside the driver, and then the sergeant reached the vehicle, jumping in as well. There were only two seats in front, but the sergeant didn't even want to waste an extra second to open the side doors. All three of them were crammed into the front, the second soldiers sitting on the center console.

"Get us the fuck out of here!" screamed the sergeant to the first soldier. The words were hardly even out of his mouth when the engine started, and the Humvee jerked backwards.

A shrill sound enveloped their ears however, as though someone had just taken nails to a chalk board, and the three of them stared ahead horror struck at what they saw. Though the figure hadn't bothered moving an inch even when they had scrambled to leave, the orange dome was no longer surrounding him, but a narrow blade of energy had traveled towards them at a speed they couldn't perceive, and had pierced the Humvee's engine compartment.

"It won't move!" said the first soldier as his foot repeatedly stomped the gas.

The sergeant opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut short as his eardrums rumbled again, and a certain wetness assaulted the left side of his face. At first he thought his left side was sliced into and that his blood was now spraying all over the Humvee, but he was only half wrong.

The soldier next to him, the one who had been sitting in the center, his skull had been cloven in two, bone fragments and brain matter splattering the windshield. The top of the Humvee had been cut into, the metal sliced easily as though it was butter until the narrow blade of orange energy cut into the soldiers skull.

The sergeant felt bile coming up his throat as he saw the steady drip of blood flowing from the dead soldiers skull, but the driver had had enough. He scrambled out of the Humvee, falling face first onto the pavement and began running as far away as he could.

The sergeant rolled out moments later, and quickly glanced over at the second Humvee, but the engine compartment had already been destroyed at some point. Glancing back up the driveway, he saw the figure still standing there, hands deep in his pockets and a casual smirk on his lips. Air rushed by the sergeant, and he thought he felt something like a bullet narrowly miss his skull, but the figure wasn't aiming for him.

The other soldier had long left the property of the house, running across the narrow road and into the row of trees on the other side. He zigzagged left and right, darting between trees,

hoping that without a direct line of sight, he couldn't be injured; he didn't even notice that he had soiled his pants at some point during the past few minutes. Finally feeling that he had run far enough, he paused against a tree to catch his breath, and looked back over his shoulder. He couldn't even see a glimpse of the house or the road, and breathed a sigh of relief. Turning away from where he had come, he took one step, and then fell face forward into the dirt with a cry of pain.

He couldn't pick himself up and didn't understand why this was until he managed to role over, and saw both his legs lying on the ground two feet away from him. He screamed again, but his voice was cut off sharply as a flash of orange erupted in front of him, and his head went sailing through the air.

When the scream was cut of suddenly, the sergeant knew that he was the only one remaining. Slowly, he turned to face the figure who was still standing at the top of the driveway. There was no longer any dome surrounding him, almost as though he was inviting the sergeant to attack him. At this point, the sergeant knew that he would never leave here alive, but at the very most, he could do his damnedest to kill this thing.

Swinging his gun around in a flurry, he squeezed the trigger, aiming only around the person without precisely aiming at his face. Flashes of orange erupted one after another as each of the bullets fired from his gun was struck down. It was almost like he was predicting the trajectory of the bullets and destroying them as such. This monster just kept defying the sergeants common sense more and more each time.

Running forward, he continued spraying bullets wildly, some of which ricocheted off the driveway, or struck the walls of the house. He was inching closer now to the figure, nearly within distance to strike with his fist. When he reached a certain distance, the orange dome came down, sealing him inside of a closed space along with the monster. Now only a mere five feet away from his target, he squeezed the trigger, believing that no being could possibly stop a bullet from this distance.

A flash of orange came down suddenly in front of him, and his gun exploded. Before the bullet had even exited the barrel, it was sliced in two, the gun falling apart in his hands. The firing mechanism had sparked the bullet forward, but since the bullet was sliced, it exploded, and the sergeants fingers were caught in the ensuing explosion, the tips of his right hand mangled into bloody lumps.

The sergeant screamed, and took a step back, but adrenaline was pumping through his body with no thought to his own safety. His left hand darted down, grabbing the pistol holstered at his hip. He swung it up, intending to fire, but before he even had a chance to squeeze the trigger, it was cut in two.

Not relenting, he screamed in fury, threw the broken gun to the side, and swung his fist forward. His fist made contact, but it wasn't with the person in front of him. An orange wall sprang up in front of him, which his fist made contact with. Instantly, the bones in his hand fractured, and the skin surrounding the bone peeled away, blood beginning the flow from the multiple wounds.

Howling in pain, he instead aimed a kick high, but suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards. His equilibrium was thrown off as he kicked, and didn't realize that the leg he had been kicking with was no longer attached to his body, causing him to fall over. Screaming once again when he saw his detached leg lying beside him, he began crawling on his hands and knees away, but was of course still encased in the orange dome.

He felt searing pain in the back of his remaining leg, and saw that it was pierced by that same orange energy. Unable to move, all he could do was stare across the driveway to the humvee's and the bodies of the other soldiers. The driveway had long turned slick with blood.

Doing his best to turn around, he felt the muscles on his legs tearing as he turned to face the hateful monster. When he finally got turned around, he was surprised to see that the person had finally moved, and was now standing before him, looking down almost pitifully at him. This angered the sergeant immensely, thinking that this thing could even understand how he felt at this moment.

"Fuck you," he managed to utter through half closed lips.

Next second several flashed appeared around him, and both his arms were pinned to the ground, orange stakes imbedded into his arms. At this point, his body was so numb with pain that he could barely feel anything at this point. His higher functions, namely his brain, we're finally shutting off.

He longed to spit on this persons face, but didn't think he had enough energy left. So he opened his lips to say something.

"Fuck yo-"

His chest was suddenly impaled, both his lungs crushed instantly, blood spewing out of his lips instead of words.

"I did warn you to leave, though you didn't listen. So this is what happened," spoke the figure with a slight sigh as though he himself was weary with all this.

The sergeant wasn't listening however, his eyes glazed over, death slowly approaching.

He didn't even feel any difference as the thin orange blade pierced his neck.

For the sergeant, darkness closed in on him. The trees fades, the house faded, even the figure in front of him faded until he was laying in a pool of his own blood surrounded only by darkness. He could only wait until he finally died, and closed his eyes, waiting for said moment. Finally, he felt white light pierce through his closed eyelids, and knew that he was dead...

.

..

...

...But his eyelids now opened. Sound and smell returned to him and while he couldn't move his body he could take in what surrounded him. But, it didn't make any sense as to why he was here. He...he had died...so why was that figure still standing there motionlessly with his hands in his pockets still?

Suddenly, the sergeant vomited, while simultaneously his bladder emptied, soiling his pants. Around him, the other seven soldiers were lying on their backs or stomachs, each of them either vomiting, shitting, pissing themselves, or a combination of all three. Not a single one of them was injured, and all their guns lay forsaken on the ground beside them. The guns still had the initial magazine in them, and not a single bullet had been fired. How was this possible?

"So...I'll ask you once again. Leave, and don't come back," spoke the figure with a sigh.

None of the soldiers had the ability to respond, each of them still remembering how they had each died.

"Though I suppose you won't be able to move right away. Either way, something else is coming."

After his words, moments later, the sound of an engine roaring could be heard from what appeared to be far away. The sound grew louder, and tires began screeching as the vehicle slowed down as it approached its destination. Seconds later, a vehicle swung into the driveway, but slammed the breaks when it saw the two Humvee's parked in front.

Misato and Kaji jumped out of the jeep and quickly glanced at each other, unsure what to expect. Each of them has their pistols drawn as were prepared for the worst, but something was bothering each of them. Slowly, they inched there way along the Humvee's, and then Misato saw the bodies of the soldiers sprawled on the pavement. At first she thought they were dead, but the moans that escaped there mouth disproved this. She noticed the vomit and smell of excrement, and questions began appearing in her mind, but Kaji brought her out of this.

"...Misato..." mumbled Kaji, his gaze directed up the driveway, while his gun hung limply at his side.

Slowly, Misato followed his gaze up, passed the collapsed soldiers, and to the person who stood at the top looking down on them with a slight frown on his face.

"...Shin...ji...?" spoke Misato, not believing what she was seeing. But no, this couldn't be him, this person was far older, taller, and more mature it seemed. Shinji was only fifteen years old after all.

"How do you know my name?" the person spoke suddenly.

"...Shinji...its me...Misato?" Some sort of expression seemed to pass over his face, but Misato couldn't tell what it was.

"Are you with these soldiers?" he gestured to the men lying on the ground nearly comatose.

Misato opened her mouth to say something, but closed it slowly. She got the idea that Shinji had done something to these soldiers to make them like this, but she didn't know what. She still couldn't believe that Shinji was here, or why he was older, but she understood that Shinji was wary about them. Had the soldiers tried to do something?

The sergeant was listening in to this conversation even though his body still hurt to much to move. The Major knew this person, who she called Shinji, but he didn't seem to recognize her. He didn't understand what was happening between them, but he did potentially see a way out. In his peripheral vision however, he caught movement in the upstairs window, and saw the curtain flutter briefly. Was somebody else in the house?

"I'll ask again. Are you with these soldiers?"

There was something stifling in the air now as the person spoke, and Misato felt like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff. What was wrong with Shinji? Why didn't he recognize her?

"I'm going to assume from your silence, that you are, which means that you're just the same as them," he said gesturing to the soldiers. "I'll give you time to gather them up and leave, but if you try and approach me, or even talk to me, I'll-"

He stopped short as the sound of a sliding door opened and closed sharply from the side of the house, and then running feet announced the presence of somebody else. Misato felt herself inhale sharply as she saw a woman with long red hair round the corner and march straight towards the man standing in the driveway.

"What are you doing?" she asked pointedly towards the man, giving a brief glance in Misato's direction.

"I thought I told you to stay inside until it was safe," he said with a frown.

"Things have changed," she said again pointedly.

"But what about-"

The woman with red hair silenced him with a look, and then glanced down the driveway towards Misato and Kaji standing there dumbstruck at the two arguing with each other. Slowly, the woman began walking towards them, giving a wide berth to the soldiers who still lay on the ground, but the man hadn't finished talking yet.

"Asuka!"

"Cool it Shinji. I'm fine," the woman spoke as she drew near to Misato.

She approached Misato, ignoring the man behind her who was still staring at Misato and Kaji. As she reached them, Misato saw that they were close to the same height now, and this somehow put it all in perspective. Even though she was older however, the face, the blue eyes, and the vivid red hair was all very familiar to her.

"It's good to see you again...Misato," spoke Asuka with a wide smile.

Misato couldn't do anything but hug her, feeling tears form at the corners of her eyes, so pleased to see Asuka again.

Behind them, Shinji frowned, but then let out a low sigh, scratching his shaggy black hair. Well, it seemed like they knew each other, so it wasn't a problem. Besides, Shinji thought Asuka had mentioned Misato's name before, and he had a vague memory of something he had seen in the past long ago.

The sergeant took all this in from the moment the newest woman, Asuka, had appeared to now. Somehow, they all knew each other, but it didn't make any sense to him. One thing he did notice, was that his body had started moving however. Slowly, he could begin to feel life returning to his arms and legs, and anger started to surge through him. He had been humiliated beyond belief, and now only wanted to cause harm to the person who had done this. His rifle was too far away to reach, but he still had the pistol at his hip.

Sitting up suddenly, he grabbed the pistol from his waist, and pointed it at Shinji. Misato and Kaji froze, and then Asuka turned around to see this spectacle, but didn't feel any fear, and simply watched how things would play out.

"You do realize that is pointless," frowned Shinji as the sergeant pointed the gun at him.

"That may be so, however-"

He swung the pistol around, and pointed it at Asuka who was behind him.

"What about now?" he asked. "Even if I can't harm you in one way, I can certainly harm you in another way."

Shinji didn't move, but he felt a seething anger beginning to develop in his chest.

Asuka didn't move either, even though she was being threatened. After all, she trusted Shinji.

"Just one false move and I'll-"

The sergeant didn't get any further: the gun was split in two as,, coming apart in his hands. A flash of orange had erupted in front of him as Shinji had effortlessly used his AT-field to disarm him. The sergeant gaped wordlessly as the weapon crumbled, not believing what had happened.

Kaji felt angry as well, and took half a step forward before Asuka held out her arm to stop him.

"Let Shinji deal with this," she mumbled.

Shinji did so, walking forward towards the sergeant, all sense of forgiveness disappearing from his eyes. When he was directly in front of the sergeant who was trying to move away from him, even though his legs didn't work, he let out a heavy sigh and said-

"I can forgive you for threatening me, because honestly, you can't do anything to me. However," and here, his eyes flashed a deadly scarlet, "it's an entirely different thing if you threaten a person I love."

A flash of orange appeared in front of Shinji, and then like a guillotine, swung down to meet the sergeant. The sergeant screamed, and then fell backwards, his head hitting the driveway as his eyes rolled upwards into his head.

Silence engulfed the area, and even the other soldiers were silent after watching this unfold.

"Shinji, you didn't," Misato finally spoke.

"No, I didn't kill him, just knocked him out. Though I imagine his dreams are rather unpleasant right now."

Relaxing slightly, Shinji glanced over at Asuka. She was smiling at him slightly, and then walked over to him. When there eyes met, Misato could tell that many things had happened between them, and that they were far closer now then when they were only teenagers, but she was surprised when Asuka kissed Shinji briefly. Even Kaji had his mouth agape slightly at this.

"Thanks," said Asuka.

Shinji nodded, and then glanced back to where Misato and Kaji stood.

"I suppose there are a lot of things to share, but for now we should-"

He was about to mention what to do with the soldiers, but he was interrupted by the sound of the sliding door alongside the house opening again.

Both Shinji and Asuka's eyes whipped over to the corner of the house, and then Asuka glanced quickly at Shinji before trotting away to where the sound had come from.

Misato and Kaji didn't know what to make of this, but Misato saw that Shinji's expression had turned rather stony.

Shortly, Asuka came around the corner, but she wasn't alone this time. As what came into view quickly appeared in Misato and Kaji's eyes, they both realized what they were seeing.

In Asuka's arms was a small child of four years, that had shoulder length red hair and brown eyes.

Standing beside Shinji now, Asuka glanced over at him slightly worried, but the child in her arms was staring wide eyed at the soldiers lying on the ground, and Misato and Kaji who were standing several feet away from them.

Finally, Misato broke the silence and asked, "Shinji...Asuka...is that?"

"Yes," said Asuka not looking at Misato, but now staring at the child clutched lovingly in her arms. "This is mine and Shinji's child, Alena."

Shinji nodded wordlessly, his eyes focusing on the two people beside him, the two that he cared most about in the entire world.

Across from them, Misato and Kaji stood motionlessly, letting this slowly sink in, but in a far corner of Misato's mind, she felt a sudden dread welling up inside her that she couldn't explain.

* * *

><p><strong>In the words of Deckard Cain, "Stay awhile and listen!" (Cause I'm gonna ramble)<strong>

**First off, Welcome to those of you joining in for the first time with this chapter. For those that have stuck with me through these past few years, Welcome Back. The second part of Two of Us is just starting, and I hope everyone got a decent shock about several things from this chapter. **

**To put this in perspective, the initial workings of this chapter first began to formulate in my mind back in 2010 when I was writing Sorrowful Winter, and for those that have read that, yes Alena is the name I used for Shinji and Asuka's daughter back then, and it's the name that I stuck with all the way to this point. **

**As I began writing this however, the more and more I began to realize the scope in which this chapter would cover, as little things started cropping up through the cracks. I initially wanted Misato to learn about the passage of the seven years from seeing Shinji and Asuka, which would have been a much greater shock, but the thing with the computers and technology that was left over didn't seem realistic to just gloss over. Maybe it had something to do with me rereading The Stand in tandem to writing parts of this, but I'll leave it at that. **

**This chapter is long, and some may call it absurdly long, but I ended up not finding a satisfactory spot to cut it in half, and I've had the ending planned out for months, which seems proper to have it end as it does. I can honestly say that I'll never have a chapter be this long again.**

**Anyway, I'll end things here, and go to sleep since I have to work tonight. **

**(As a side note, this chapter was written almost entirely on my phone, and while I've proofed it several times, it's very likely that it still has some great autocorrect errors (My favorite being dome to some)).**


End file.
